


Small Blue Boy

by just_a_loser



Category: CrankGameplays - Fandom, Teamiplier - Fandom, markiplier - Fandom
Genre: ABDL, Age Regression/De-Aging, Ageplay, Bed-Wetting, Diapers, Fluff, Gen, Little!Ethan, Little!Jack, Maybe a little angst, No Romance, No Smut, but not really, mostly cuteness
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-19
Updated: 2018-09-17
Packaged: 2019-01-19 23:47:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 38
Words: 55,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12420711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/just_a_loser/pseuds/just_a_loser
Summary: Ethan is a small (not so blue) boy and he doesn't want anyone else to find out. When someone does, he hopes that everything will turn out alright.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my first ever fic, and I absolutely love the idea of Little!Ethan and there aren't enough out there so I decided to just make my own.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that tour is over, Ethan finally has some time to spend alone.

Ethan was nervous. He had moved out to LA many months ago, and everything was going well. He was the happiest he’d ever been. He was living his dreams, and had some amazing friends. But, he had a secret. A secret that he kept tucked away in a box under his bed.

It’s not that weird, Ethan often thought to himself. That didn’t stop the fear and shame from washing over himself at the thought of the others finding out. He’d kept it together pretty well for the past year or so. He never slipped in front of anyone. He sometimes started to float between headspaces while at the office, but he had it under control. The only giveaway would be him biting on his thumbnail, but it was a common habit. Nothing anyone would look further into. He was proud of himself for having everything under control.

Then came the tour. That definitely made things harder, since he never had time alone. He considered bringing one of his stuffed animals, but decided against it. If anyone found it, he’d be mortified. He couldn’t risk it. So, the whole time they were on tour, Ethan kept himself together. There were a few times he was close to slipping, but being the youngest of the crew, everyone was already used to his slightly childish behavior.  
…  
Ethan stepped into his apartment for the first time in what seemed like forever. He felt a wave of relief wash over him at finally being alone. He closed the door behind him, making sure to lock it, and dropped his bag. He stumbled over to his bed and flopped down face first, exhausted. It felt so good to be in a real bed again! He laid there for a few minutes before reaching an arm underneath it to get the box tucked underneath. He sat up and opened the lid, his head already going fuzzy. He reached inside and pulled out a small stuffed dog. He held it to his face, lightly nuzzling the soft fur. He then pulled out a smaller item: his pacifier. Oh, how he missed it. He put it into his mouth, feeling safe, as he stood up. He took a small night light out of the box, going to plug it in beside his bed, and turned the ceiling light off. He made his way back over to the bed, pulled his blanket up to his chin, and fell deeply asleep.  
…  
Ethan sat up blearily, rubbing his eyes. He had been awoken by the sound of banging. He was confused, and half in little space, as he realized what was going on. Someone was knocking on his door. His eyes flew open, and he spit out his pacifier and made to shove Brownie (his stuffed dog) into the box, then the box under the bed. He hurriedly rushed to the door and opened it. It was Kathryn. He stared at her for a moment, head fuzzy.

“Hi,” said Kathryn.

“Hi,” said Ethan, his voice slightly higher than it usually was.

“Um, are you going to let me in?” Kathryn asked, raising an eyebrow.

Ethan cleared his throat. “Oh! Yeah, sorry,” he mumbled stepping back to let his friend in.

They both walked to the living area, which was quite small. Kathryn sat on the couch.

“You want anything? Coffee?” asked Ethan, hovering near the kitchen.

“No thanks. It’s three in the afternoon,” Kathryn said.

“It’s three!?” squeaked Ethan, surprised at how long he’d slept in.

“Yeah, bud. That’s why I’m here. You were supposed to be at the office like an hour ago.” Kathryn looked concerned. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Ethan replied, sitting on the couch. “Just really tired, I guess.”

They sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes.

“Well, we should probably get to the office now,” said Kathryn, breaking the silence.

“Yeah,” Ethan agreed.

“Oh, you were supposed to bring Mark’s shirt back, remember?”

“Oh shoot, yeah. I don’t remember where it is,” said Ethan, walking to his room.

“I’ll help you then,” said Kathryn cheerily.

The pair walked into Ethan’s room, Ethan crouching down to look under the bed, subtly pushing the box further inward. “Nothing here,” he said, to make sure Kathryn wouldn’t look there. He then went over to his closet, looking around on the floor, before he spotted it. “Found it!” he exclaimed. Kathryn didn’t respond. He turned around, his mouth opening to speak, but said nothing as he took in the scene before him. Kathryn was holding a small blue object in her hand. His pacifier.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ethan tells Kathryn about his little secret

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to admit I'm not proud of the last chapter. It's been a while since I've written anything, and years since I wrote any kind of fanfic, so I apologize. The first chapter was meant to set everything up, and hopefully I'll get into the swing of things and get things going.

Shit, Ethan thought. Shit shit shit. How could he have let this happen? He was always so careful; how could he do something so stupid?

“Ethan?” said Kathryn lightly. The plastic gleamed in her hand, which was cupping it gently.

Ethan didn’t respond. His mind was all over the place, rendering him unable to form words. All he could feel was an overwhelming sense of panic rapidly spreading inside him. He could feel himself shaking, and unable to stop himself, a tear ran down his cheek.

Kathryn, though confused, was concerned for her friend, and when she saw the tear drop down his face, saw how vulnerable he looked, something inside her snapped. She couldn’t put words to it, but it was a maternal instinct of sorts, a drive to protect this precious boy.

“It’s okay, E,” she said softly, moving towards the younger boy, putting an arm around him to softly rub his back. “Why are you crying?” she said gently.

Ethan sniffled. “’Cuz you’re gonna hate me,” he mumbled.

Kathryn’s heart nearly broke, hearing the pure sorrow in the boy’s voice. “C’mon, E, I could never hate you! I love you, no matter what, alright bud? I just want to know what’s going on. Is that okay?” She looked down at the brown haired boy, waiting for a response. It took a few moments, and after a few more sniffles, he responded.

“Okay.” It was so low Kathryn barely caught it.

“Alright, bud. Let’s sit on the bed, okay?” She had a feeling that this wouldn’t be a short conversation.

Ethan nodded, moving toward the bed, dragging his feet as he did so. Kathryn sat on the edge, and Ethan sat next to her, bringing his feet up to his chest, curling into himself.

There was a brief period of silence as Kathryn didn’t know what to say, and Ethan was trying to figure out how to start.

“It’s when I’m stressed,” he began. “I – my brain kind of shuts down sometimes, and I feel really…small, I guess. And there’s things I have for when that happens. To make me feel better, you know? Like – like that,” he mumbled, glancing to the pacifier resting beside Kathryn.

“Okay,” said Kathryn, though Ethan could tell she was still lost.

“There’s a word for it. Or, a few, I guess. Maybe you can look I up or something and then you’ll understand? It’s called ageplay, sometimes. Or age regression. I’m what you would call a l- a Little.” He drifted off to a mumble at the end. He’d never said it out loud before. The boy hung his head, his fingers nervously picking at his socks.

“Oh,” Kathryn said. She had actually heard of that, thanks to her habit of falling down rabbit holes on the internet. She didn’t know much, but she had a general idea. “So you’re like a baby sometimes?” she asked sincerely.

The boy cringed slightly. He hated that word. “I- I guess.” He avoided eye contact, staring at his feet.

“Is it okay if I ask you some more questions, bud?” Kathryn spoke softly, as she would if she were speaking to a child.

Ethan nodded slowly, still avoiding looking at her.

“Does it just happen? Like all the sudden you feel small?”

Ethan thought for a moment. “Sometimes. Sometimes it’s just a regular day and it just happens, and sometimes something will make it happen. But I never let it happen unless I’m alone.”

Kathryn nodded, taking a moment to think. “How often does it happen?”

Ethan shrugged. “A few times a week my head starts to get fuzzy sometimes, but I only really slip a few times a month,” he muttered, pulling on a loose string on one of his socks.

“And what do you do when it happens?” Kathryn resisted the urge to tell the boy to stop pulling on the string.

“When I’m with you guys I force myself to stop. I make sure I clear my head and act normal. But when I’m at home I put on a onesie and get B- a stuffed animal and…that,” he pointed to the blue piece of plastic lying on the bed, “and watch cartoons or color or somethin.”

“And it makes you happy?” asked Kathryn.

Ethan nodded his head, which still rested on his knees.

“Then there’s no reason to be ashamed,” said Kathryn brightly. “If it makes you happy, that’s all that matters. If you had told me sooner, it wouldn’t have changed a thing. And I’m pretty sure that goes for the rest of the crew too. We all just want you to be happy, okay? We all love you and care about you very much. Don’t ever forget that, E.”

Ethan had peeked up his head as Kathryn spoke, tears flowing from his eyes. He was relieved that she was taking this so well, and before he knew it, he was anxious again. How would the others react? Now that Kathryn knew, he’d have to tell everyone else, right?

Kathryn must have seen the sudden switch in the boy’s mood, and caught on to the reason. “Do you want to tell the others?”

Ethan’s lower lip quivered. He shrugged. He felt like they should know now, but he really didn’t want to go through this again.

Kathryn seemed to read his mind. “Do you want me to tell them?” she said softly. Ethan hesitated, and nodded slightly. “Do you want to stay here and I’ll go tell them now? Or do you want to wait?”

“Now,” he mumbled, looking at his friend. As soon as he got the word out, Kathryn’s phone buzzed. She pulled it out of her pocket to read the message that was there, typed out a quick response, and slipped it back into her pocket. “Mark’s asking about you. I told him you weren’t feeling well, and that I’m on the way. You’re sure about this? It can just stay between us, if you want.”

“I’m sure,” he said. “I guess I’m tired of hiding things from you guys. I hope I’ll feel better once they know.”

“I’m sure you will, E. I’ll text you once it’s done, okay?” Kathryn stood up and started to walk towards the bedroom door. “And I’ll take this.” She grabbed the shirt they had been looking for.

“Okay,” Ethan said, giving a small sniffle. He stood up and followed Kathryn to the door. “It’s gonna be okay, bud.” She gave him a reassuring smile. “I’ll talk to you later. Bye!”

“Bye.” Ethan closed and locked the door behind her before collapsing onto the floor. He was absolutely drained. He was just glad it was going to be over with, and he didn’t have to be there when it happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...yeah. I hope this one was better, though there's still a lot of dialogue and setting everything up. next chapter will most likely be Kathryn telling the rest of Teamiplier, and after that we should really start to get into it. Anyway, I hope you're enjoying this so far! :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kat talks to the gang about Ethan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully this is good, sorry if anyone is ooc, this chapter is mainly to drive the plot along. Also, this is my fic, so Ethan's hair is blue here, bc dammit he's our blue boy!

Kathryn hesitated at the door to the office. She wasn’t sure what she was going to say. She had told Ethan that the rest of their friends wouldn’t be bothered, but honestly, she wasn’t sure. She really didn’t want to put the boy through the pain of being rejected by his friends. She steadied herself the best she could, and stepped into the office.

The first person she saw was Mark. “Hey. Is Ethan alright?”

Kathryn hesitated for a brief second. “Yeah. But he wanted me to tell you something. All of you.”

“What is it?” Mark asked, looking slightly concerned.

“It’d probably be best if you gathered everyone up for this.” Kathryn was nervous, and she knew Mark could tell, as he chose not to question her further, instead following her request. He walked into the other room, calling out for Amy and Tyler.

…  
“What’s going on?” Tyler looked past Amy towards Mark from across the couch.

“I’m not actually sure,” replied Mark. “Kathryn?” He made a small sweeping gesture towards her. She was standing in front of the couch, though she grabbed a rolling chair nearby to sit on, feeling it wasn’t appropriate to stand over the trio.

“So, Ethan has something he wanted me to tell you guys,” she started. She was trying to find the right words as she went along, since she had nothing planned.

“Is he okay?” asked Amy, leaning forward.

“He’s fine. He’s just really tired right now, and he didn’t really want to be here now. He wanted me to tell you guys this, but he’s afraid you guys will react badly.”

They all looked puzzled, but said nothing as Kathryn spoke. After a beat, Mark broke the silence. “So what is it? What is he so afraid of us knowing about?”

Kathryn took a moment to gather her thoughts. “Do any of you guys know what ageplay is? Or age regression?” she asked, hoping they’d have at least some clue. Each one of them shook their heads, patiently waiting for a response. “So, I don’t know everything, but it’s where a person gets in a state of mind where they feel really young, like a kid or a baby.”

The three sitting on the couch each wore similar masks of confusion. “So that’s what Ethan is?” asked Tyler.

Kathryn nodded. “Yeah.”

“Wait, isn’t that like a kink or something?” asked Mark. Kathryn could practically see the gears turning in his head.

“I mean, I think it can be, but I’m pretty sure that’s not how it is for Ethan. I barely found out about it today, and he’s really scared that you guys will hate him.”

“We could never hate him,” said Amy immediately.

“Yeah,” the other two agreed. “But I still don’t really understand,” said Tyler.

“Okay, umm,” said Kathryn. “I guess I’ll just tell you everything he told me. He said that it happens when he’s stressed, and that he can’t really control when it happens, but he can stop it from happening when he’s around other people. Around us,” she amended. “He told me that his head gets “fuzzy” and that he has things he has to make him feel better whenever he feels small.”

Mark nodded slowly, and each seemed to be processing the brunette’s words. “What kind of things?” asked Tyler hesitantly.

“I’m not sure about all of them, but he told me he has stuffed animals, coloring books, onesies, and…” she hesitated, remembering the look on the small boy’s face when she had found the pacifier. “And a pacifier,” she concluded softly.

She saw them each have a similar reaction, as their eyes widened slightly at the last word. “A…” Tyler started, his voice cutting off. Kathryn nodded. They all sat there for a few moments, processing Kathryn’s words.

“It’s not that weird,” Mark said suddenly. “There’s all sorts of weird stuff people do, and this isn’t even a big deal. It’s not like it’s BAD or anything.” He stood up. “Right?” He motioned towards the other two on the couch.

“Right,” Tyler and Amy said in unison. “It’ll just take a while to get used to, I guess,” said Tyler.

“Should we go see him?” asked Amy. “I feel like we should. Make sure he knows we care about him.” The two men nodded in agreement.

“Hang on, I’ll ask him if he’s up for it,” said Kathryn pulling out her phone.

…

Kat: _They took it well_

Ethan let out a sigh of relief, still tingling with anxiety. His head was still pretty fuzzy, worn out from all the stress.

Kat: _They want to see you. Is that ok?_

Ethan froze. They wanted to see him? He was still afraid. He wasn’t sure he could handle facing them. But, he figured he’d have to do it eventually, so why not get it over with?

 _Yes_ , he replied, shaking slightly. He was curled up in the corner of his bed, all of his secret items tucked away in their hiding spot. He bit his thumbnail anxiously, waiting for his friends to arrive.

…

He had nearly dozed off when he heard knocking at the door. He jumped, anxiety spiking through his body as the realization hit him that he was going to have to face them.

He opened the door slowly, facing the ground the whole time. Kathryn came in first, and once she did, the blue boy quickly made his way back to his room. He heard the others shuffle in and approach his bedroom.

“Eth?” Mark said quietly from the doorway, as if not to frighten him.

Ethan hid his face in his arms, pulling his knees to his chest. He was breathing rapidly, anxiety radiating from his slender frame.

“We’re gonna come in now, okay?” His friends slowly stepped inside the bedroom, Mark moving to sit next to the blue boy. “It’s okay, Ethan.” He reached out an arm to gently rub his leg. “God, you’re shaking!” He put his arm around the smaller boy’s shoulders, pulling him into his side. “You’re fine, Eth! We all love you no matter what, Okay? Look at me.”

Ethan slowly raised his head to look at his friend. As he did so, Mark could see the drying tear stains on his cheek. “Don’t cry, bud, we’re here for you. We don’t care that you’re-“ he cut himself off, not knowing how to finish the sentence correctly and not wanting to set the blue boy off. “We just want you to be happy,” he concluded.

“And to be you,” added Tyler.

Ethan sniffled. “You don' hate me?”

No one could deny his voice sounding somehow smaller, slightly higher pitched than his normal voice.

“Of course not, E,” said Amy. “We all love you.” She moved closer to the bed to give Ethan a hug. He slowly uncurled himself and let the blonde wrap her arms around him.

“Thanks,” he mumbled into her shoulder. He was surprised yet relieved that everything had turned out okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will hopefully be the last chapter for establishing the plot. I think for the next chapter we'll get to see little Ethan and show how the rest of Teamiplier is adjusting.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ethan snaps, and goes into headspace at the office

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There might be just a little bit more angst, but that's it, I promise!

A week had passed since they had gotten back, and everything had seemingly gone back to normal. Almost. But not quite. He noticed the lingering eyes, the glances they gave him when he began to chew on his nail. Like they were waiting for something. It all came crashing down when Ethan caught one too many glances from Tyler. Already feeling particularly irritable, he lost it.

"What are you waiting for, huh? You want to see me act like a b-" He couldn't say it. He choked on the word, the choke turning into a sob. Tears began rolling down his face, his anger quickly turning to sadness.

"Oh, no, Ethan, no," Tyler cooed at the younger boy, moving to hug him. Ethan made no move to protest, and allowed the tall man to wrap him in his arms, pulling him into his chest. He sobbed into his friend's chest, unable to stop rapidly slipping into the headspace he had been trying to avoid.

"Shh, it's okay, Eth." Tyler rubbed small circles into the blue boy's back. "It's okay. You're safe here," he said soothingly. Ethan's sobs soon turned to sniffles. "You want to sit down, bud?" The small boy nodded lightly, head still buried in Tyler's shirt.

The pair maneuvered to the couch, Ethan clinging to Tyler's shirt, unwilling to let go. Tyler held him gently for a while, until the blue boy had calmed down a bit. "Would you like a blanket?" he muttered. Ethan nodded.

Tyler untangled himself from the boy's grasp to stand up and began walking to the other room. As he entered the doorway, he found three faces staring at him. "What?" he half whispered, trying not to be heard by the boy sitting in the other room.

"Is he..." Mark began.

"Yeah, I think so. And don't bother him about it, you hear?" he said sternly. "You heard what happened. And if you want to go over there, go in one at a time. I don't want to overwhelm him." He grabbed the softest blanket they had at the office, carrying it with him as he exited the room.

He was unprepared, though not surprised, at the sight he was met with. Ethan had his knees to his chest, eyes a little vacant, with his thumb planted firmly in his mouth. Making sure to keep his expression neutral, he walked back over to the couch. "Here you go, E."

He made no move to grab the blanket being held out to him, though his gaze did drift to the taller man's face. Tyler unfolded the blanket and gently draped it over the boy before taking his seat beside him. He dared take a glance at the boy, who seemed content, and was staring off into space.

Mark slowly entered the room. "Hey there," he said lightly, trying to announce his presence to avoid startling the boy. Ethan's eyes flitted to the slowly approaching man. He didn't move, but a light blush spread across his cheeks. "Is it okay if I sit here?" He motioned to the seat beside him, on the opposite side from Tyler. Ethan nodded, thumb still in his mouth. The sight nearly made Mark's heart melt, for the boy looked so sweet and innocent in that moment.

He sat on the couch and glanced past Ethan to meet Tyler's gaze, a question in his eyes. What do we do? Tyler's expression clearly held his answer. I don't know. They sat there for a few minutes before Mark spoke. "Hey E?" The boy turned to look at him. "Amy and Kathryn are going to come sit with us, okay? They want to make sure you're okay. Are you okay with that?" Ethan hesitated before nodding. "Okay," Mark replied.

The girls entered the room, sitting in chairs across from the couch. Amy gave the blue boy a smile and a small wave, which seemed to brighten his mood a bit. They sat in silence for a good while, each trying not to glance at Ethan too often, afraid to disrupt the peace.

"Do you want to watch a movie?" Mark addressed the boy softly but suddenly. Ethan nodded slowly. "Which one? We've got all sorts of movies here, and if we don't have it, we can find it. So what'll it be?" Ethan hesitantly removed his thumb from his mouth. "Lion king?" he said hopefully.

Mark resisted the urge to coo at the boy. "You bet!" he said, going off to find the movie. They sometimes had disney movie nights, though recently they were few and far in between. Luckily, one of the few disney movies they had happened to be the Lion King.

They all gathered around facing the TV as the movie began, Ethan's eyes lighting up at the opening. The rest sat quietly, subtly observing his behavior. Pretty soon, Ethan had dozed off, head resting on Tyler's shoulder. He awoke just as Mark popped out the disk.

"Morning, sleepyhead. Did you sleep well?" Mark asked. Ethan nodded slowly, yawning. He was slowly coming out of headspace.

"Are you hungry?" Tyler asked. "Or thirsty?"

"I'm good," Ethan responded. The others noticed the change in both his voice and demeanor, realizing he wasn't so small anymore.

"What time is it?" Ethan looked around blearily.

"It's about to be eight," Kathryn replied.

"Wow," the boy said. "It seems like it was only five just a few minuted ago."

"Time flies," Amy said.

"It's pretty late, do you think we should get going?" Tyler asked Mark.

"Yeah, it's about that time. Who do you want to drive you?" Mark turned his attention from Tyler to Ethan.

"You, I guess," the blue boy said. "If that's alright," he added quickly.

"Of course," Mark responded.

...

"You doing okay?" They had just entered Ethan's apartment.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He avoided his friend's eyes, worrying at the sleeve of his sweater.

"It's okay if you ever have to, you know, at the office. Or around us, anytime. And you can keep some of your stuff there, if you want to." The man stared at Ethan, waiting for a response.

"What stuff?" he asked. "Oh." He meant the stuff he kept in the box. "Okay," he said feebly.

"Alright, I'm gonna go now. See you tomorrow, E."

"Bye," the blue boy said as he left. It was strange; he wasn't as nervous as he had been before. Maybe today's episode had been for the best?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really like how this turned out. Honestly I don't really have a plan for where this is going, but hopefully it's good so far? If you want to leave suggestions, I'd appreciate it, though there's no guarantee I'll use them. I only ask you don't ask for anything nsfw or ship related. This is strictly non-romantic.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ethan slips into headspace at the office, but this time he's alright with it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hopefully this chapter will be longer, and have more cuteness than the last few.

One day, Ethan woke up not quite in headspace, but knowing he would easily slip. So, on a whim, he grabbed a bag he sometimes brought with him to the office, which currently contained a few odds and ends of equipment, a spare shirt, his allergy medication, headphones, and a hat. He knelt down to unzip the bag, and then reached under his bed to grab the hidden box. He had decided to take Mark up on his offer.

He popped open the lid, scanning the things inside. He grabbed his plush dog from the top, sitting it gently on his bed. He reached back into the box to grab a small set of crayons and a Star Wars coloring book, which he tucked into the bag. He passed on the legos and the small puzzle box, though he did fish out a blue tinted silly straw, which he put into the front pocket of the bag.

The blue boy then stood up to go retrieve his yellow onesie from his closet. He wasn't so nervous about it, since he'd worn it at the office before. He stuffed the material into the bag before going back to the box.

He had one last item to consider. This was the one that really made him feel nervous. He took out the pacifier and held it in his hand. He stared at it, debating whether or not to take it. It was the item that brought him the most comfort, but it was also the one he was the most embarrassed about. Eventually, he sighed, and dropped it into the pocket with the straw, then zipped it closed. He grabbed the plush toy from the bed and gently set it at the top of the big pocket. He didn't want him to get squished, now would he?

Just as he had finished packing the bag, there came a knock on the door. He jumped a little, feeling as if he had been caught somehow. He pulled the straps of the bag over his shoulders and made his way to the front door. He opened it, revealing Mark, who had come to drive him to the office, since Ethan didn't have a car, and preferred not to drive anyway.

"Hey-o," said Mark as Ethan stepped out, closing and locking his apartment door.

"Hey," replied Ethan. He shoved his keys into his pocket as they began walking to Mark's car.

As they reached the car, Ethan shrugged his bag off his shoulders and put it at his feet as he sat in the passenger seat. The two buckled themselves in before Mark drove off. They sat in a comfortable silence for a while, the only sound being the top 40 radio station playing in the background.

Ethan broke the silence, forcing himself to ask the question he'd wanted to ask since they left. "You said it's okay if I brought some stuff, right? Like, after last time..." he trailed off. He was looking for reassurance, as he was afraid his friend had somehow changed his mind.

Mark could hear the uncertainty in the boy's voice. "Yeah, of course." He glanced over at the bag sitting at Ethan's feet. "Is that what you have in there?"

Ethan blushed. "Yeah," he said shyly.

"Don't be ashamed. We're all fine with it, and as long as you're fine with it, everything's good." Mark took his eyes off the road to look at Ethan, giving him a smile.

Ethan smiled back, nerves settled significantly.

"We're here!"

...

Today was a pretty lazy day. There was editing to be done, sure, but they didn't have any major projects they were working on. Filming was considered, though it wasn't on the agenda. Their workload was light, considering some of the busy days they'd had in the past.

Ethan finished his tasks rather quickly, and moved to sit on the couch. He had left his bag by his desk, and debated whether he should get it or not. Before h could make a decision, hurried paws pitter-pattered across the floor. Chica rushed to him, tail wagging. She sat on the floor next to him, licking his hand. Ethan giggled quietly, patting her on the head. He always felt little when Chica was around. It seemed like the decision had been made for him.

He could feel himself slipping as the cute dog laid down on the floor. He fought the urge to suppress it, and allowed his mind to grow foggy.

"Mark!" he whisper-yelled. The man turned his chair to look at the boy.

"Yes?" he inquired, raising an eyebrow.

Still whisper-yelling, Ethan responded. "Can I color?" The L sounded more like a W.

"Absolutely," Mark replied, knowing instantly what was going on. "Do you have colors?"

"Uh-huh." The blue boy was bouncing in his seat a little.

"Would you like me to get them for you?" Mark asked, seeing how the boy hadn't moved. Ethan nodded vigorously.

"Are they in your bag?" Another nod.

Mark rose from his chair, groaning, as his joints hurt from sitting there for so long. He walked over to Ethan's desk and knelt down to open the bag. He unzipped it and saw...oh. it was a pacifier. He had opened the smaller pocket. He gulped. Though he already knew about it, he wasn't mentally prepared when he saw it.

He opened the other pocket and was met with an adorable face. Smiling, Mark pulled the plush dog out of the bag. He moved the material of the onesie aside to find a pack of crayons and a coloring book. He grabbed them, and made a split second decision before zipping the bag closed.

"Star Wars, huh?" Mark said as he handed the book to Ethan. "I love Star Wars! Do you have a favorite character?" He had a tone in his voice he used when talking to his young cousins.

"I like Han Solo," Ethan said merrily.

"Me too!" Mark exclaimed. "He's pretty cool, right?" This earned him another vigorous nod.

Ethan held the coloring book in his hand was he moved from the couch to the floor. It would be easier to color there. He laid down on his stomach, coloring book in front of him. He opened the box of crayons (8) and turned it upside down to dump them on the floor.

"Would you like some company down there?" The boy looked up at Mark, and nodded. He liked Han Solo. He was pretty cool.

Mark kneeled down on the floor next to Ethan, who had begun to color. "I have someone else here too," he said.

Ethan looked up to see Mark holding up his dog. He reached out, making a grabbing motion with his hands. Mark gave it to him. The boy sat the dog right next to him, like it was watching him color.

"Does that little guy have a name?" Mark asked as he pulled his legs in to sit crossed legged, or criss-cross applesauce, as some may call it.

"Brownie," Ethan said as he scribbled.

"That's a great name." Mark watched the boy as he colored, noticing a tinge of discomfort on his face.

"What's the matter, bud?" he asked.

"Wanna take my shoes off," he mumbled.

"Go ahead!" Mark replied. He thought for a moment. There's no way it could be comfortable to lie on the floor wearing jeans. "Are your pants uncomfortable too?" Ethan nodded. "I saw your onesie in your bag. Why don't you go put that on?" he suggested.

The boy took his shoes off and went over to grab his bag. He pulled out the onesie, carrying it to the bathroom.

"Everything okay?" Tyler called from the other room. Mark stood to go over there. He had forgotten that the rest of them were there.

"Where the hell have you guys been?"

"Here," replied Kathryn. "Where have you been?"

"With Ethan. Coloring," he explained simply. There was a chorus of "oh"s.

"We'll leave you guys alone then," said Amy.

They heard the bathroom door open. "Gotta go." Mark walked back to his spot on the floor as Ethan came back. He shoved his clothes into his bag before laying back on the floor.

"You can keep clothes here, if you want. An extra onesie, in case you forget to bring one."

Ethan looked up at Mark. "Don' have anoner one."

"Oh. Why not?"

"Cuz people'll think it's weird." He said this with no emotion, as if it were fact.

"Oh." Mark frowned. "If you have any extra toys you wanted to-"

"Don' have extra," the boy interrupted.

"Why don't you?" Mark asked, knowing the answer.

"Didn wan anyone to find them," he mumbled. Mark nodded solemnly.

"Hey, what kind of toys do you like?" Ethan shrugged, not looking up from his page.

"C'mon, you've got to like something! Do you like trains, or robots, or dinosaurs? Or do you just like coloring books?"

"I like cars," he finally said. "And legos, and, and, dinosaurs, and, and, and, superheroes!" The boy's eyes had brightened, happy to talk about the things he liked.

Mark gasped dramatically. "You like superheroes?!" Ethan giggled. "Which ones?"

"Spiderman!" the boy exclaimed.

"Spiderman is the best," Mark said. "Who else?"

"I like iron man, and captain america, and black widow is cool."

"What about the hulk?" Mark asked.

"I don like him. He's scawy."

Mark was unable to help the grin that spread across his face. This kid was too adorable!

"All done!" the boy said, picking up the coloring book to show Mark. The picture of Chewbacca was colored in haphazardly, scribbles of brown going every which way, often reaching outside the lines.

"That looks incredible!" Mark exclaimed. "You're such a talented artist!" This earned him a giggle. "Do you want to hang it up on the fridge?"

Ethan's eyes lit up, nodding his head.

"Alright, let's go hang it up!" Mark carefully tore the page from the book, leading Ethan to the kitchen area they had in the office. He took a magnet to hang it up. "There," he said, patting the boy's hair. The boy was grinning from ear to ear.

"You really like it?"

"I love it!" Mark guided the boy back to the couch. "Movie time now?" he suggested.

"Yeah!" Ethan was bouncing in his seat. He was a bundle of energy. "Little Mermaid?" he asked.

"Absolutely," Mark said, going off to find the movie. He set it up on the tv, and turned back to the couch to see Ethan with his thumb in his mouth. He hesitated before he went to the boy's bag, opening the smaller pocket. He grabbed what he was looking for before going to sit next to Ethan.

"Hey E, do you want this?" He offered the boy his pacifier. He saw the tint of red that splashed his cheeks. The boy said nothing, but shyly took it, replacing his thumb with the object.

They sat there happily watching the movie. At one point, Tyler walked in. Mark gave him a glance, wordlessly telling the other man not to say anything. The tall man complied, instead sitting down on the other side of Ethan. The boy was too engrossed in the movie to notice. The three sat through the rest of the movie together.

...

The rest of the day went by, and Ethan was showing no signs of entering a more mature headspace. It usually didn't last that long. Maybe it was because he was being coddled and taken care of? Ethan liked it.

It was getting late, past the time when they'd usually go home. Mark pulled Tyler aside. "I don't want to just leave him alone at his apartment," he said. He couldn't, in good conscience, leave the boy alone when he was like this.

"He could stay at my place," Tyler suggested. "He has his old room there."

"Sounds good. You'll look after him, right?" Mark was hesitant to leave the boy, even with someone he trusted completely.

"Of course," Tyler responded.

The pair walked over to Ethan, who was coloring again.

"Hey Eth?" Mark said. The boy looked up, pacifier sitting between his lips.

"Do you want to stay the night at Tyler's house tonight?"

He pulled the pacifier out of his mouth. "Seepover?"

"Yeah," said Tyler. "It'll be fun."

"Can Mar' come too?"

Mark was surprised. He looked at Tyler, who responded. "Sure!"

"Yeah, it'll be fun!" Mark said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really happy with how this turned out. I hope you liked it, and sorry for the (minor) cliffhanger.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sleepover! also Mark runs some errands

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry it's been so long! I cannot promise to keep an update schedule, but i will promise this: i will write two chapters every month, as a bare minimum. I want to update at least once a week, but that is a promise i cannot make. I really don't want to drop this fic, or forget about it.

After a short car ride, they had arrived at Tyler's house. Tyler unlocked the door and entered, followed by Mark and a very excited Ethan. Mark set down the backpack he had carried in by the door.

"Do you remember where your old room is?" Tyler asked the boy, who nodded. "That's where you're gonna sleep tonight." He turned his attention to Mark. "You'll be alright on the couch?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm good."

"I'm gonna go start making some dinner, so why don't you two do something? I have a couple of video games in the living room, uh...I don't know what else."

"Okay, we'll figure something out." Mark put his arm on Ethan's shoulder as Tyler walked off in the direction of the kitchen. "Do you like playing video games?"

Ethan shrugged. "Sometimes."

"Do you want to play any now?"

The blue boy shook his head. "Do you want to...watch me play? That can be fun."

"Okay," Ethan said sweetly. He sat on the couch while Mark set up the game. Before sitting back down, he grabbed Ethan's bag and set it next to him on the couch. "Alright, here we go."

...

Mark played Rocket league, Ethan cheering him on from the sidelines, until Tyler emerged from the kitchen.

"Alright, dinner's ready," he announced.

"You hungry?" Mark asked the blue haired boy, who nodded. "Well let's go!"

They walked to the dining room, where three plates of homemade macaroni and cheese had been set out on the table. They sat, and began to eat.

"You like it?" Tyler asked Ethan. He nodded, unable to speak due to the pasta in his mouth. He shoveled bite after bite into his mouth as the two older men talked. Pretty soon, all evidence of the meal was gone not only from Ethan's plate, but all of theirs.

"Alright, what do you want to do now?" Mark questioned.

"I dunno," Ethan responded. He wanted to play with his legos, but those were at home. He had his colors, but he was tired of coloring. They'd already watched a movie, and he wasn't in the mood to sit still anyway.

"How about we get some dessert while you think about it?" Tyler suggested. "I have some ice cream."

"Ooh!" said Ethan, who had quickly taken to the idea. "Chocolate?"

"Sorry, I only have vanilla," Tyler responded, pulling the tub out of the freezer. "But," he said, now opening the fridge. "I do have this." He held up a bottle of chocolate syrup.

"Yes," Mark exclaimed, mostly for Ethan's benefit.

Tyler scooped them each small portions of ice cream into bowls before returning the tub to its place in the freezer. Once he had finished, he handed the chocolate syrup to the younger boy. Ethan flipped open the top, and began pouring the sauce onto his ice cream.

"Whoa, I think that's enough," Tyler said as the syrup began to pool at the bottom of the bowl. The boy pouted, but stopped, setting down the bottle, which Mark grabbed. He too poured a generous amount into his bowl.

Tyler shook his head. "The both of you are going to get cavities," he chided.

"That's my problem, not yours!" Mark responded, giving Ethan a cheeky wink. Ethan giggled, taking a bite of his dessert. They all ate pretty quickly, not wanting the ice cream to melt.

Once they had finished, Mark addressed Ethan. "Figure out what you want to do yet?" The boy shook his head. Mark's eyes darted around, trying to think of something to do. "What about..." he trailed off, desperately trying to think of something. Tyler didn't really have anything a kid would like. None of them did.

"Drawing!" he finally said. "You're probably sick of coloring, but with regular paper you can draw whatever you want! Or even write a story, if you want. We all can! Right, Tyler?"

"Yeah," Tyler quickly agreed. "I'll get some paper."

Mark stood up. "I'll get your crayons, okay? I'll be right back." He walked out into the living room. Tyler reappeared, carrying a small stack of paper and a few pens.

"Here we go," he said, setting a few sheets in front of the boy as Mark came back, setting the box of crayons on the table.

"Alright, here we go. What are you gonna draw?" he asked Ethan.

"Issa secwet," Ethan said, dumping out the crayons.

"Oh, okay then, mister," Mark said playfully. Ethan had picked up. green crayon and had begun to draw. Tyler watched as his hand moved across the page. The boy looked up at him. "You can't look till its done!" he said, moving his arm to block his friend's view of the page.

Tyler smiled. "Sorry."

"Yeah, you look at your own page," Mark teased. He had grabbed one of the pens, not wanting the boy to have to wait if he needed a different color. There were only eight crayons, after all.

They drew for a while, Mark engaging Ethan in a short conversation about dinosaurs. Finally, Ethan was done, the other two having finished long before.

"Can we see it now?" asked Mark. Ethan nodded, holding up the paper. The page was filled with blue and green scribbles, and neither of them had any clue as to what it was supposed to be.

"What is it?" Tyler dared ask.

"Issa dwagon!" Ethan exclaimed. Now that he said it, the other two could make out shapes that vaguely resembled a body and limbs, and the splotch of red that could be interpreted as fire.

"Wow, that's so cool!" said Mark.

"Yeah, it's pretty great," Tyler agreed. Ethan blushed, still getting used to their praise. "How about we put it on the fridge?" Tyler suggested.

"Okay," the boy responded, failing to stifle a yawn.

Tyler pinned the drawing onto the fridge with a plain silver magnet. "Someone seems sleepy," he said, turning back to look at Ethan.

"I'm not," he said, a second yawn giving him away.

"I'm getting pretty sleepy too," said Mark, giving a slightly exaggerated yawn. "It's getting pretty late. I think it's time for all of us to go to sleep."

"Come on," Tyler said, slowly guiding the boy out of the dining room. "Let's get you settled in." They slowly made their way up the stairs and into the room, followed by Mark. Ethan laid down on the bed, instantly curling up. Tyler gently laid a blanket on to of Ethan, and moved to turn the light off.

"Wait!" Ethan cried. Tyler stopped, looking alarmed. "What is it?"

"Wan Bwownie," the boy mumbled, his thumb slipping into his mouth.

"Brownie?" Tyler asked, perplexed.

"I got it," Mark said from the doorway, quickly heading downstairs. He returned in moments, handing Ethan his dog, along with his pacifier, which he happily received.

"Good night, Eth," Mark said lightly.

"Good night," Tyler echoed.

Ethan fell asleep quickly, dog in hand and pacifier in mouth.

...

Ethan woke up with his head. little fuzzy, but more or less back to his normal self. For a second, he couldn't remember where he was, but he soon remembered the previous day's events. He sat up, spitting out the pacifier and slipping it into the pocket of his onesie. He peeked out of the room, and slowly walked downstairs, where he heard voices.

The voices were coming from Mark and Tyler, who stopped talking as Ethan approached.

"Hey," Mark said hesitantly. "How are you?" Ethan could sense the underlying question.

"I'm good," he said. He glanced at their questioning faces. "I'm, uh, back to my normal self. I know that's what you wanted to ask."

"Oh...kay," Tyler said. "I washed your clothes from yesterday. They're on the couch if you wanted to change.

"Thanks," Ethan mumbled, heading off to retrieve his clothes.

...

They had a quick breakfast before Mark drove Ethan home.

"Thanks," Ethan mumbled as they got to his apartment door. "For yesterday."

"Of course," Mark responded. "You're always a pleasure, no matter how you're feeling."

Ethan blushed, unlocking the door. "It means a lot," he mumbled, stepping inside.

Mark smiled. "I'm glad you trust us enough to open up about it." The two stood in awkward silence for a quick moment, neither knowing how to continue from the heartfelt moment.

"Okay then, I'll see you later," Mark finally said.

"Bye," Ethan said, sheepishly closing the door.

Mark walked to his car, pulling out his phone as he sat in the drivers seat.

To: Amy: _u up for some shopping?_

...

"Are you gonna tell me where exactly we're shopping for?" Amy asked as they pulled into a Target parking lot.

"Shit, sorry. I wanted to get some stuff for Ethan," he said. He quickly told her about the conversation they'd had the previous day, explaining how Ethan didn't have much, and how they were all so ill prepared to host and handle Little Ethan.

"That's really sweet," Amy smiled. "To get stuff for him."

They got out of the car and entered the store, Mark grabbing a basket on the way in.

"Do you know what we're looking for?" Amy asked.

"Uuuuummmmmmmm..." Mark replied. "Kind of? Crayons, for sure. And I'll grab things as I see 'em, I guess.

They walked to the toy section, stopping next to the stuffed animals on the shelves. "I think we should get him one of these." Mark gestured to the shelf.

"What about...this one?" Amy picked up a blue and white bunny from the shelf.

"Great," said Mark as Amy put it in the basket. They moved on a couple of aisles, until one caught Mark's eye. "Ooh, gotta get some of these." They were in the lego aisle. Mark grabbed a few of the basic packs.

"Oof, legos are more expensive than they used to be," Amy remarked.

"Yeah, geez," Mark agreed. "Ah, it's fine." He pushed the basket into the next aisle, which happened to contain hot wheels. "Some of these," he muttered, grabbing a few of the cars. "And...yes!" he said. "I had this in mind, and I'm glad they have them," he told Amy, grabbing a car mat off the shelf and dropping it into the basket. He turned to the other side of shelves. "Aha," he muttered.

"What?" asked Amy.

"He likes superheroes," Mark said in response. He glanced around the the shelf, looking for one action figure in particular. "Do you see a Spiderman?"

"Uh, there!" Amy pointed to the figure, which was on the bottom shelf.

"Nice," Mark said, adding it to the basket.

"So, what else are we looking for?" Amy asked as they continued walking.

"Uh, let's see. Crayons, like I said. Coloring books, uh, dinosaur toys, maybe? Um, there's some other things, I forgot, hang on...Oh! Refrigerator magnets! I don't know what else," he said, stopping to pick out a few dinosaur figurines.

"Is there anything I can help you with?"

The worker seemed to appear out of nowhere.

"No, we're good," Mark said, suddenly feeling on edge.

"Alright, let me know if you need anything."

"You too." Mark mentally slapped himself, quickly pushing the cart away, cheeks burning. Amy followed behind him, stifling a laugh.

"You too," she mocked playfully.

"Don't you start," Mark mumbled grumpily. They'd ended up in the craft aisle. Mark grabbed the biggest pack of crayons they had, a pack of 120. On second thought, he grabbed two.

"Why don't we get some craft stuff?" Amy suggested. "Some paints, and ooh, some chalk."

"Go ahead," said Mark. Amy grabbed a few things off the shelf and added them to their quickly growing basket.

Before they left the toys, Mark noticed a few things on the end of a shelf, which he grabbed, those items being bubble wands and jump ropes. The pair moved on, searching for refrigerator magnets, Mark finally giving up and asking the worker he'd embarrassed himself in front of. After getting that taken care of, they went to the book section to pick out a few coloring books before heading towards the front of the store.

As they walked, they passed the baby section. Mark slowed his pace, considering whether or not to go look. Amy caught his gaze.

"Go on," she encouraged lightly.

They slowly walked into the baby section, which was thankfully empty. They glanced around nervously. It wasn't suspicious for them to be there, right?

Mark saw the item he was looking for. He stood in front of. row of pacifiers. Thinking back, the one Ethan had was pretty small, as were the ones that lined the shelf. He considered, and decided he'd go to the internet for this one. As he turned to leave, something else caught his attention. I wonder if he'll like these? he thought, reaching for a pack of plastic sippy cups.

Neither of them spoke as they continued walking, until they passed the clothing ares. "Aha!" Mark exclaimed, slightly louder than he had intended.

"What?" asked Amy, alarmed.

Mark didn't respond, veering off into the clothing section. Amy followed confused, until they reached the rack that had caught Mark's eye. "Ohh," she said. The rack displayed an array of adult-sized onesies.

Mark grabbed a Spiderman one off the rack, checking the size. "Perfect," he said.

"It...sure is," Amy said, surprised at their luck. They picked out a few more before heading to the checkout.

"Someone's birthday?" the cashier asked lazily as she scanned their items. Mark panicked. "Early Christmas shopping," he supplied quickly, heart pounding. Amy grabbed his hand, squeezing lightly in an effort to calm him down. It worked slightly, thought Mark was still on edge.

Mark's eyes widened when the cashier told him the price, but shook his head, paying. He and Amy exited the store, Mark letting out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

"You alright?" Amy asked.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Mark asked. Amy shot him a knowing glance.

Mark sighed. "Yeah, I'm fine. That was...incredibly nerve-wracking. I get why Ethan was so afraid to tell us now."

They packed everything into the car and drove off. Mark dropped off Amy and headed back to his house, trying to figure out what he was going to do with all this stuff for the time being.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it ended so abruptly, but by the time i finished writing this it was 5am. Also, sorry for publishing this on halloween and not having a halloween chapter... :/


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark does some research, and maybe bought some more things for the blue boy??

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's mostly plot development, but there is a lil bit of Big Ethan talking about his Little self, and an abundance of Mark going overboard.

Mark sat in his living room, computer in his lap. He was alone, save for Chica, who was napping upstairs. He stared at the blank tab, biting his lip. He drummed his fingers lightly over the keyboard. He instinctively glanced around before moving his hands to the keys. Unsure what to type, he decided to start out simple. 'adult baby'. He hesitated before pressing Enter. He analyzed the results. The first few results were links to adult sites. Mark grimaced, though wasn't too surprised. People were into all sorts of things.

He scrolled down, finding a link to some sort of forum. He clicked on it. He was hoping to gain a better understanding of what Ethan went through, and how he could help. It also wouldn't hurt to learn the terminology.

He clicked around for a while, reading through hundreds of posts, some written by what he learned were called Littles, and some written by caregivers. He absorbed every word he read, head swimming with information. He wasn't sure how much of it applied to Ethan, but it couldn't hurt to be informed, nonetheless.

Mark sat there for what seemed like hours (because it was), reading post after post, until he'd gotten to just about everything. He then went back to a post he'd seen that had a list of links for supplies, he guessed was the word. He clicked on the first link, which led to a site that sold pacifiers for adults. He kept the tab open and went back to the post. He clicked the second link, which sent him to a site selling adult sized onesies. He thoughtfully bookmarked the page before closing it. He opened the next link. He stared at the page in silence. The page displayed a site that sold adult sized diapers. It was too much for the man to handle. He quickly closed the laptop, standing abruptly. Full of nervous energy, he began to pace around the couch, unconsciously picking up speed as he went.

Does he have those? Mark thought back to Ethan's nervous behavior, how little (no pun intended) he had for when he was in headspace. How he had seemed ashamed. Mark was sure he didn't have any. _Does he want them?_ he thought, running his hand through his hair. _Does he need them?_ He stopped in his tracks, sitting back down and opening the computer once more. He looked over the options. He looked over the sizes. _I shouldn't._ He added them to the cart. _He's not gonna want them._ He filled in his information. Goddamn Chrome autofill made this too easy. _He's gonna be embarrassed._ He clicked check out. It was done.

Mark groaned loudly, leaning back in an exaggerated fashion. He wasn't sure what he was feeling. Regret, maybe? But not quite. He pulled himself together and went back to the computer. He closed the tab, leaving him on the page for the pacifiers. He gave a small sigh of relief. This was much easier decision.

He scrolled through all the options, though they were all only solid colors, before deciding, screw it, and added one of each color to the cart. He quickly checked out before closing the tab. He bookmarked the forum before closing it too, and closed the computer once more. Mark sighed. Was this too much? Was he overstepping his bounds? He didn't want to overwhelm his friend, but he wanted to be there for him. Was he going overboard?

...

"Can I ask you some things? About yourself?"

Mark and Ethan were hanging out at the older man's house, sitting on the couch, TV on in the background.

"Sure, I guess. What is this, trivia night?" Ethan joked.

"I'm serious. I wanted to ask you some things about your regression." Mark hoped his terminology wasn't completely off.

"Oh." Mark could see the change in Ethan's face.

"Are you sure it's okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, it's fine. You kinda have a right to ask."

Mark hesitated before asking the first question. "How old are you? You know, when you're Little?"

Ethan furrowed his brow. "I don't know. I haven't really thought about it. I guess five or six maybe, if I had to put a number on it. A little younger, a few times, but mostly around that."

Mark nodded slowly, taking in the information. "Have you ever told anyone? Before us, I mean."

"No. Never. You guys are the first."

"When did you- when did it start?"

Ethan sighed thoughtfully. "I was eighteen or nineteen when I first heard about age regression and stuff, and I realized I related to it, I guess? I realized I already- I-," he struggled for a moment, trying to find the right words. "Certain aspects of my behavior...matched, I guess. And the more I thought about it, the deeper I'd get. I tried to stop it, but it just got harder and harder. I bought the uh, the pacifier just a few months before I moved out here."

Mark perked up at the mention. "That pacifier's too small, isn't it?"

"Well, yeah. It's for babies." He mumbled the last word, eyes drifting downwards.

"About that..." Mark stood up, walking towards another room. "I'll be right back," he called.

"Okay?" The boy stared after him, bewildered.

The older man walked back into the living room carrying a small cardboard box in his hands.

"What's that?" the boy asked warily, eyeing the box.

"Don't be mad," Mark quickly said. "Hopefully you'll be the opposite of mad, but I don't know. I just want to help, I guess? I mean, I-" he rambled. "Just...here." He held out the box.

Ethan cautiously took it from him, slowly opening it. He inhaled sharply as he saw what was inside.

"I bought them the other day," Mark explained, trying to read the boy's expression. "I thought you'd like them, and I didn't know what color to get, so I kinda got them all, and I thought it'd be good to have extras around anyways, so, yeah."

Ethan swallowed thickly. "It's thoughtful of you," he finally said, feeling his cheeks burning. "And it's nice to know that you care," he mumbled, raising his eyes to meet Mark's. 

"Of course I care!" Mark exclaimed. "You're one of my favorite people in the world! How could I not care?"

Ethan smiled at the reassurance. "Thanks," he mumbled. "Was there anything else you wanted to ask?" He fiddled with his hands, though he wasn't so nervous anymore.

Mark thought for a moment, an internal struggle taking place within his mind. _I shouldn't ask that,_ he thought. _It'd just embarrass him, and things are going well! I don't want to ruin it!_ But the curiosity was eating at him. He bit his tongue before deciding, screw it (a decision that seemed to be becoming common for him).

"Do you have diapers?" He regretted the words the moment he said them, as Ethan's face dropped instantly, looking as though he'd been slapped.

"What?! No! I dont- why would you- I-" His eyes were wide, panicked, like a deer caught in headlights.

"Okay, okay, I was just asking. I read that some people use them, and I was curious, that's all." Mark attempted to calm the boy.

"I-it's fine. I understand that you're curious. And the answer's no."

"I got that," Mark chuckled. "That's pretty much all I wanted to know, for now. But," he said, meeting his friend's eye. "I have to confess something. I maaay have gone kind of insane the other day, and I juust might have bought some other things."

"Ummmmm...okay..?" Ethan raised an eyebrow.

"Hang on, I'll bring 'em." Mark left the room, returning with a plastic bag in hand. "There's some more stuff I got to keep at the office and to disperse among the rest of our houses. This stuff is for you to take home. I know you said you didn't have much, so, I got you some stuff." It was Mark's turn to blush. He handed Ethan the bag nervously. He hoped he hadn't overstepped.

Ethan was slightly overwhelmed as he peered into the bag. Inside were some hot wheels, a lego set, a coloring book, a huge ass box of crayons, two dinosaurs, a onesie, and...were those... sippy cups? The boy shakily pulled the pack out of the bag, looking at Mark quizzically.

"Well you have a pacifier so I figured you might like them," Mark said defensively. "Do you not want them?"

"I don't know," Ethan said truthfully. "I've never used one before. I honestly have no idea if I'll like them. But I'll take them," he added.

"Oh, and don't forget to take one or two of the pacifiers before you go," Mark added. "Do you call them pacifiers? Or would 'pacis' be better?"

Ethan looked at Mark thoughtfully. "I feel like 'pacis' would be slightly less uncomfortable." He plucked the blue one from the box and dropped it into the plastic bag. 

"You didn't have to do this, you know," the blue haired boy said suddenly. "Buy all this stuff, just for me."

"I wanted to," Mark assured him. "Though I did go a little overboard. God, kiddo, I'm gonna end up spoiling you rotten!" Ethan cracked a smile. "You know what the problem is? You're too damn cute. You're too fucking adorable for your own good."

"Stoop," Ethan joked, blushing. 

"It's true," said Mark. "You're the cutest kid I've ever seen."

...

After dropping Ethan off, Mark decided now was as good a time as any to disperse his purchases among their places. He headed back home to separate the items into different bags, each intended for a different location.

Each bag contained a onesie, a pack of refrigerator magnets, and a different colored pacifier (though the bag for the office contained two). The bag intended for the office also contained the second box of colors, three coloring books, the car mat, and cars to go with it. The bag for Tyler's house  contained a lego set, some cars, and the spiderman figurine. The one for Amy and Kathryn's place had a lego set and the various craft supplies Amy had picked out. This left Mark with the last lego set, a couple of dinos, the chalk, bubbles, and jump ropes (as his place was the only one with a yard), along with a paci, onesie, and magnets, or course. At least now they'd be somewhat equipped to entertain the boy when he wasn't feeling too big.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like this isn't enough, so I'll probably end up adding to this chapter (I'm too tired to write more now) but i feel like it's been too long since i last updated so i decided to post what i have


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark and Tyler stop by, and Ethan's glad to have someone to play with

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So um...nevermind, i decided to just leave the last chapter as is. I didn't feel like writing it so just assume that Mark has dropped off all the stuff, etc. I honestly just didn't feel like writing it all out.

Ethan stared at the package sitting on his counter, squinting his eyes. He felt as though it was staring back at him. He stared it down, grinding his teeth. He sighed, instinctively glancing around him, and went to open the package of sippy cups. He wasn't  feeling Little at the moment, but he still decided to try them out. He pulled the green one out from the top, setting it on the counter. Another few moments of staring. He was trying to work up the nerve to actually go through with it. He sighed once more, shaking his head, before going to the fridge to decide what to put in it. He pulled out a carton of chocolate milk and poured some into the cup, snapping the lid into place. More staring. He was starting to sweat. This is too weird, he thought, starting to pace. Finally, he grabbed the cup and took it to the couch.

He raised the cup to his lips slowly, trying to force himself not to think about it. He hesitantly brought it to his lips, taking a sip. He lowered it, looking at it thoughtfully. It felt weird. He couldn't  quite explain it, but it felt off, in a way. Maybe it wouldn't  be so weird when I'm Little, he thought. It did feel weird to use his paci when he was Big, so the same thing could be happening here.

Ethan decided that to truly see if he liked the cups, he'd  have to test them when he was Little. He rarely voluntarily put himself in headspace, but he decided that today was as good a day as any to do so. He grabbed the remote and turned on the tv, putting it on cartoons to help numb his mind.

Not too long after, he was fully in headspace, though he hadn't forgotten about the cup, which was sitting on the coffee table in front of him. He reached for it, holding it with both hands as he raised it to his lips to drink. It didn't feel too weird this time. It was easier to drink out of than a regular cup. No spilling.

The boy stayed there for a while, contently watching cartoons and occasionally drinking his chocolate milk until it was gone. An hour passed, and he gradually felt himself coming out of headspace. He turned the tv off and went to put the cup in the sink when he heard his phone buzz from the coffee table.

Mark: _is it ok for me & ty to come over 4 dinner?_

Ethan: _i hope ur not expecting me to cook_

Mark: _no we'll bring somethin_

Mark: _pizza ok?_

Ethan: _sure_

...

Knock Knock. "Pizza guy!"

Ethan rolled his eyes as he opened the door. Mark stood in the doorway holding two pizza boxes, Tyler towering over his shoulder. Ethan waved the two inside with a flourish. "Where should I set these?" Mark asked, brandishing the pizza boxes. 

"Just set them on the counter," Ethan replied, as he didn't  have a kitchen table. "We can eat on the couch or...stand."

Mark gave him a look. "The couch is good," he said as Ethan grabbed three plates from a cabinet, handing them to the others. He opened the top box.

"Ooh, ham and pineapple!"

"You should be thankful I'm catering to your disgusting habits," Mark said, mockingly stern.

Ethan got his slices and turned back to the others, though Tyler seemed preoccupied. "What?" Ethan said as Mark followed the taller man's  gaze.

"So," he cleared his throat. "You like them, I assume?" Ethan finally realized what they were looking at. The sink. The sink that held nothing but a single cup. A cup that happened to have been given to him by Mark.

Ethan could feel his heart rate quicken, wanting to shrink under his friends' gazes. He shyly rubbed his hand behind his neck. "Y-yeah." His voice came out barely above a whisper.

Mark sensed his anxiety. "Oh, it's fine. I was just asking. Didn't want to keep an elephant in the room," he said, patting Ethan on the shoulder. "Especially in an apartment as small as this," he teased. Ethan laughed nervously. The others got their food and the trio moved to the living room.

"So are you guys here just to hang out or..?"

"Does there need to be a reason for us to spend time with our favorite blue boy?" Tyler asked, making the boy smile softly.

"Can I turn the tv on?" asked Mark, reaching for the remote. "It's too quiet in here."

"Knock yourself out," Ethan replied, taking a bit of pizza, which he nearly choked on once the screen turned on, displaying the cartoons he'd been watching earlier. He hadn't changed the channel.

Mark looked over at Ethan, raising an eyebrow slightly. "We can watch cartoons if you want."

Ethan wished he could sink through the couch. "I-I'm not Little all the time, you know. Most of the time I'm  not, actually."

"Are you Little now?" Mark asked.

Ethan sunk impossibly further into the couch, avoiding both men's gaze. "Not really," he mumbled. "I was earlier," he admitted. "It's  still kinda lingering, a lil bit." The pair took a moment to process his words before Mark spoke.

"Do you want to be Little?"

This caught Ethan off guard. Did he? Did he enjoy being Little? Yeah, it was relaxing and made him feel safe, but was it something he actually wanted to happen? He'd  always felt like it was a dirty secret, something bad. But it seemed like having supportive friends was making him get over that line of thinking. So, he shrugged. "Maybe."

Mark and Tyler  glanced at one another, clearly unsure what his response meant. "I mean, yeah, I'd  like to," he clarified. "If that's  okay," he quickly added.

"Of course it's  okay," the other two said in unison, causing all three of them to laugh. "We're  down to hang out if you're  Little or big," Mark assured him.

"Can you-are you able to just, like, make it happen?" Tyler looked at the boy quizzically, though there was no judgement in his eyes.

"Kinda. I just kinda relax, clear my head, ya know? But it helps if I'm  already feeling a lil fuzzy. Like right now. But if I'm  trying I  just watch cartoons," he glanced at the screen as he said this. "Or do other things that make me feel small."

"Whelp, cartoons it is then," Mark said cheerfully, turning the volume up so that they could hear.

"No, guys, you don't  wanna-"

"No no no, we barged in here last minute, we don't  get to decide what we do. And I, for one, love watching Spongebob. Right Tyler?" Mark nudged the taller man playfully with his elbow, forcing his hand to slam the piece of pizza he was holding into his face.

"Right," he said with his mouth full.

"So, we're  gonna eat pizza and watch Spongebob, and you're gonna be in whatever headspace you wanna be in, okay? No questions? Good."

Ethan looked at Mark out of the corner of his eye. He was good at this. He was quickly adapting, and seemed to be fitting into a parental role of sorts. He commanded the situation, which made Ethan feel small, but he did it in such a way that wasn't  stern or intimidating. He'd  be a good caregiver. Not that Ethan would ever ask that of him. It was just a thought, a thought that Ethan quickly pushed from his mind. Nonetheless, he was grateful for his friends' attitude towards all this.

...

 By the time they finished eating, Ethan had sunk into headspace, and the tv was quickly losing his attention. He was biting his lip and bouncing one leg. "Hey Eth." The hand that landed on his shoulder startled him, making him jump. He turned to look at the person the hand belonged to. Tyler. "Do you want to do something else?" he asked softly.

"Can we play sometin?" he asked shyly.

"Sure!" Mark said. "You bring out your toys and we can play whatever you want, okay?" Ethan took off to his bedroom, leaving the other two alone on the couch.

"You're surprisingly good at this." Tyler looked over at Mark.

"I don't really know what it is. I guess I have a strong paternal instinct or something." He shrugged.

"It's kind of jarring, you know? Seeing him change so suddenly. He acts so different. Not even twenty minutes ago he was normal." Tyler stopped himself. "And I know normal isn't the right word to use, normal is subjective, blah, blah. But you know what I mean?"

"Oh, no, I get it. I'm still not used to it either. Though you have to admit, he's cute when he's like that," Mark said.

Before Tyler could respond, a blue boy emerged, carrying a box and a bag. "What're you talkin bout?"

"Just how adorable you are," Mark said, ruffling the boy's hair as he passed him. Ethan giggled, plopping down on the floor in front of the couch. Tyler stood up and moved the coffee table to allow the boy more room.

"So," Mark clapped his hands together. "What are we playing?"

The boy shrugged. "I dunno. Jus brought everythin." Mark slid down onto the floor to sit next to Ethan, Tyler following suit. Ethan then proceeded to dump everything out onto the floor. He looked around at the spilled items, obviously trying to decide.

"Hmm...we could put together that puzzle," Mark suggested, pointing to the box.

Ethan shook his head. "Take too long."

"You're not in the mood to sit still, huh?" Mark inquired.

"What about a race, with your cars there?" Tyler suggested.

"But there's only two," Ethan said.

"You and Tyler race," Mark said. "I'll be the commentator."

"Wassa commentator?" Ethan tilted his head to the side.

"The guy that says everything that's happening," Tyler explained.

"Souns boring."

"Oh don't worry, I won't be a boring commentator, those guys are no fun. Now," he cleared his throat. "Ladies and gentlemen," he said, putting on a showman's voice. "We're here for the moment we've all been waiting for, the race to end all races. On the left, we have Tyler, The Apocalypse, Sheid, undefeated with his green car. Oh boy, that thing sure looks fast. And on the right we have the blue boy we all know and love, Ethan Nestor!" He mimicked a cheering crowd. "His beautiful blue car looks fast, but is it fast enough to beat the Apocalypse? That's what we're here to find out! All right, boys, let's lay out some ground rules. You both start here," he slammed down his hand onto the floor, allowing them to line up their cars, "and when I say go, you push them as hard as you can, Alright? Whoever's goes further wins. Got it?"

"Got it," they both said.

"On your mark, get set, go!" They both pushed their cars, though Tyler pushed his with significantly less force.

"And off they go! Oh, they're neck and neck, it's gonna be a close one...but oh, blue pulls ahead and it's over, folks! Our blue boy has won the biggest race of the century! Woo!"

Ethan collapsed in a fit of giggles. The other two smiled, but soon began laughing along with the boy.

"Alright," Tyler said once they'd managed to calm down. "What next?"

"You could bust out that huge box of crayons," Mark suggested.

The boy shook his head. "Legos."

"You know," Mark said as Tyler grabbed the box to open it. "I'm pretty good at legos. I was an engineer."

"Could have been," Ethan corrected, causing Tyler to burst out laughing once more. Mark, on the other hand, looked taken aback. "Well, huh," he chuckled. "You got me there, kid."

Tyler got the box open, and moved to start ripping open the plastic bags holding the pieces. Mark grabbed the pamphlet that came with the set. "We need instructions?" he asked. The boy shook his head. "Alright, no instructions. Get outta here!" He chucked the book over his shoulder. He turned to the taller man, who was currently biting a plastic bag in an attempt to open it. "Hey Tyler, what's taking so long?"

"I-I-you wanna help here?" Tyler said defensively.

"Nah, I don't think we do." He gave Ethan a smirk, shaking his head. I don't think you need any help, right?" He nodded his head at Ethan.

"Yeah," he agreed. 

"Why do you always have to turn things against me?" Tyler complained.

"I'm just saying, you shouldn't be as bad at this as you are." Mark smirked, earning himself a glare.

"Fiiiinally," Mark said once all the packages had been opened. He turned to Ethan. "So, bud, what're we building?"

"Tower?"

"Nice. Classic," Mark said. "Do you want our help with it, or you wanna do it yourself?"

"You help," the boy responded, rummaging through the bricks. "Wike pwaying wit you guys."

Mark could have cried at how sweet the boy was. "We like playing with you too, Eth," Tyler said.

...

"An...done!" Ethan declared, placing a final piece on top.

"That is, by far, the tallest tower that has ever been built." Mark paused. "You wanna knock it over?"

"Ooh!" Ethan's eyes lit up. 

"Hang on," Tyler interjected. "I'm not sure if that's a good idea. I don't want pieces to get everywhere."

 "They're legos, they're not gonna fly everywhere," Mark retaliated. "And if they do, I'll clean 'em up."

Tyler sighed. "Fine, go ahead."

"You heard him, lil blue! Go for it!"

Ethan pushed the tower over, resulting in a rather loud crash. Tyler cringed a little at the volume.

"Woo!" Mark raised his arms. "Nothing but death and destruction!" He laughed a little, happy to have made the boy laugh once more. 

"Alright, what's next?" Mark asked once they'd picked up all the legos. "You've got some cool dinos there, you have a puzzle, colors,"

Ethan nodded his head at the last one. "Good choice," Mark said, sitting on the couch next to Tyler. 

Ethan picked up one of the coloring books that had been sitting on the floor, along with the considerably large box of crayons. He scooted across the floor to the coffee table, which he sat cross-legged in front of. The table turned out to be the perfect height for him to sit at. Ethan placed the coloring book on the table in front of him, and opened the box of crayons.

"Don't dump out all-" Too late. The boy had turned over the box before Tyler could finish his sentence. Crayons rolled all over the coffee table, some spilling off onto the floor.

"Ah, it's fine," Mark said to his friend. "I'll pick 'em up later. Let him have his fun."

"Whatever you say."

The two men watched the boy as he colored, sitting in a comfortable silence, which remained unbroken until Ethan reached for the blue paci that was lying a few feet away from him.

"Woah, woah, hang on." Tyler scooped up the paci before the boy could reach it. Ethan's eyes widened, looking up at Tyler, who could see both fear and hurt in his eyes. His bottom lip quivered; he looked like he was about to cry.

"Oh no, don't cry bud! It was on the floor, I'm just going to wash it off, okay?" He rubbed the boy's back gently before going to the kitchen sink.

Ethan sniffled, eyes watering. As the first tear fell, Mark called him over. "Hey, what's the matter? C'mere, bud." Ethan dragged his feet over to the couch, sitting next to Mark, though Mark pulled the boy into his lap, rubbing circles into his back. "What's wrong?" he asked gently.

"Thaw he-he didn wan me to use my paci," he sniffled. "Thaw he didn wike me anymore." He rubbed his cheek with his hand, smearing his tears across his face.

"Oh bud, that's not true. Tyler was just worried. He just didn't want you to get sick from putting something yucky in your mouth. He didn't mean to scare you. He loves you so, so much. We all do. You know that, right?"

The boy nodded slightly, though his face was buried in Mark's shirt. Mark internally grimaced at the thought of the snot and tears getting rubbed onto him, though quickly pushed the thought aside, rubbing the boy's back while gently rocking back and forth.

Tyler reentered the room, holding the paci.

"Hey Eth, you want your paci?" Mark stopped rocking him for a moment. He felt the boy nod, still not moving his face from his chest. He reached out to Tyler, who quickly handed it over before sitting on the couch.

Ethan slowly removed his face from Mark's shirt, though he didn't grab for the paci. It seemed like he was too worn out to move at all. Mark hesitated before lifting the paci towards the boy's face, who parted his lips to accept the paci. mark gently placed it in the boy's mouth. Ethan rested his head back against Mark's chest, closing his eyes. mark continued rocking back and forth, until the boy's breathing was slow and even.

"I feel awful." Tyler spoke in a hushed voice. 

"It's not your fault," Mark responded.

"How is it not my fault? I made him cry!"

"You were just trying to help. And either way, he's still insecure about all this. About us. I'm nearly a hundred percent sure something like this would have happened eventually. He's just scared. And when he's Little, he's in an especially vulnerable place. Hopefully, as time goes on, he'll be more comfortable and accept that we're fine with this."

Tyler nodded. A few moments of silence passed. "Are you...ready to go? I could carry him to his bed if you want me to."

"Naw, you go on ahead. I don't want to wake him. I'm probably just gonna stay here. Honestly I don't want to leave him."

"You sure?" Tyler asked, and Mark could hear the slight concern in his voice.

"Yeah, I'm sure. You go. And make sure you don't slam the door on the way out."

Tyler left, leaving Mark alone, not counting the sleeping boy in his lap. He looked down at the boy's face. He looked so peaceful. That was the last thought Mark had before he too fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the angst, and sorry it took so long! Heads up, I'm probably not going to be able to update this until next month, due to personal stuff, sorry :/


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ethan wakes up being very clingy, and Mark can't say no to such a cute face

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As it turns out I did have the time to write more! This chapter features a clingy Ethan, Mark-is-too-good-at-this, and fun Amy!

Mark blinked blearily, yawning. He had been awoken by the boy’s stirring. He was still asleep, though he unconsciously snuggled closer into Mark’s chest. Mark couldn’t help the small smile that snuck across his face. Blinking the sleep from his eyes, he carefully reached over to grab his phone to look at the time. It was 9 am. Mark grimaced. He’d been sitting there so long he could already tell his joints were going to hurt when he moved. He took a moment to check his messages: there was one from Tyler from about an hour ago.

Ty: _you guys alright? I feel bad for leaving you_

Mark responded. _we r fine. just woke up. e still asleep_

Tyler responded immediately. _You slept like that all night?_

Mark: _yeah my necks killin me_

Ty: _sorry. Do you need a ride? You’re kinda stranded there_

Mark: _no ill figure somethin out_

Ty: _if you say so. I’ll talk to you later_

Mark set down his phone. In the time he’d been texting, the boy had awoken, and was staring up at him. “Morning, bud. You sleep well?”

Ethan didn’t respond, just continued staring at him with wide, innocent eyes as he sucked on his pacifier.

“Don’t feel like talking just yet, huh? Too early for it? Ah, I get ya. Mornings suck.” Mark rubbed the boy’s back gently. “I would like to get up though.” Ethan didn’t move. “Uh, you wanna let me up here bud?” No response. Mark sighed. He shifted in his seat, hoping the movement would drive the boy to get up. Instead, he lazily wrapped his arms around Mark’s neck. “I’ve got to get up at some point, kiddo.”

Ethan didn’t budge, keeping his arms secured around his friend’s neck. Mark sighed once more. “I’m gonna have to carry you, aren’t I?” Mark sat up, bracing himself to stand. “Oh boy, this is gonna take some maneuvering here. I think our best bet would be for you to just wrap your legs around me. Can you do that for me?” The boy nodded. “Alright, one, two three.” Mark stood up slowly, giving the boy time to wrap his legs around his waist. “Gah!” Mark staggered slightly. The couch definitely did a number on his back, and the added weight wasn’t helping. He stumbled, but quickly regained his balance. “Alright, I’m good, we’re fine. You doin alright, bud?”

The boy nodded, sleepily clinging to Mark. Mark trudged towards the kitchen, holding onto the boy to make sure he wouldn’t fall. It took a while, but he made it to the kitchen, opening a cabinet to pull out a glass for himself. “Uh…” Mark realized he couldn’t do much with a blue boy strapped to his chest. He glanced around, looking for a solution. “How about we set you on the counter for a minute? I’ll pick you back up if you want, but I can’t do anything while I’m carrying you.” The boy pouted, but reluctantly nodded his head. Mark walked him over to the counter, loosening his grip as he set him down. Ethan let go, lightly swinging his feet as he watched the taller man.

Mark filled his glass with water from the sink, taking a few sips. “You’ve gotta be thirsty too,” he said to the boy. “You want something to drink?” Ethan nodded. Mark opened a few cabinets, though he didn’t find what he was looking for. “Hey bud, where’d you put your sippy cups?”

Ethan pointed towards a cabinet under the sink, swaying a little with the movements of his feet. “Thanks bud.” Mark opened the cabinet, pulling out the object he’d been searching for. He went over to the fridge, surveying its contents. “Orange juice or chocolate milk?” he asked. He got no reply. He turned to look at the boy. “Still not up for talking? Um, okay then. Orange juice?” To this he got a nod. “Okay, orange juice it is. Thanks for answering me, E.”

He poured some juice into the sippy cup and snapped the lid on. He handed it to Ethan, who grabbed it with two hands. He went to take a drink before realizing he still had his paci in his mouth. Mark smiled. “I’ll hold that for you, bud,” he offered, holding out his hand. The boy pulled his paci from his mouth and set it in Mark’s outstretched hand. Mark pursed his lips as he felt the drool settle in his palm, but held it nonetheless.

Ethan sipped from his cup, drinking about half of the juice inside. He set his cup on the counter and reached out for Mark. “Cawwy me.”

Mark’s expression brightened. “Hey, little man, you got your voice back!” He walked back over to the boy. “Alright, grab on. And…up we go! Where to?”

“Livin woom.”

“As you command,” Mark said dramatically, trudging back to the couch. “Can I set you down?” The boy shook his head. “We’re both sitting?” Nod. Mark sighed. “Alright, fine. Watch your feet,” he said as he carefully sat back down. The boy adjusted himself so that he was sitting comfortably atop Mark’s lap.

“What do you want to do today, bud?” Mark asked, almost in a whisper. “Wanna have a lazy day? Or we could go out, and see Tyler, or Amy, or Kathryn."

“Amy!” The boy perked up. “Wan see Amy!”

“Alright then,” Mark said, surprised at the boy’s enthusiasm. “I’ll call her and see what she’s up to.” Mark grabbed his phone, dialing Amy’s number.

“Hey Aims!”

“Hey yourself, bucko. What’s up? Her voice was cheerful, as always, with a hint of sarcasm.

“Well, Ethan here wants to see you,” Mark explained.

“Oh okay, come on over! Kathryn’s not here, just letting you know.”

“Okay, but the thing is…we’re both here at Ethan’s apartment without a car so…we’d really appreciate it if you could come pick us up? Maybe? Pretty please? With a cherry on top?”

“How did you get yourself in that predicament?” she asked.

“Long story. Not really. Just…I’ll explain later. I’d just really appreciate it if you could come get us.”

“Alright, I’ll be there in ten.”

“Okay thanks! Bye!” He hung up the phone, setting it next to him. “Well, Amy will be here in ten minutes, alright? We’d better get ready to go.”

Mark made to get up. “Stay.” Ethan wrapped his arms around Mark once again.

“C’mon, E, we’ve gotta get ready to go. You at least need shoes on.”

“No. Stay.” Mark sighed, deciding not to argue. He still felt bad for the kid, after his cry the previous night. And if he was being honest, he wouldn’t be able to say no to that face either way.

The knock on the door made them both jump. Mark made to stand up, though his efforts yielded the same result as earlier. “Alright, up we go,” he mumbled as the boy clung to him as he stood. He trudged his way to the door, the boy attached to his front. “Amy?” he called through the door.

“It me,” was her response.

Mark unlocked the door to let her in. As the door swung open, Amy was taken aback at the sight that met her. “Oh…hi?” she said, closing the door behind her.

“Yup,” Mark responded.

“Hi Amy!” Ethan called, turning his head so that he could see her.

“Hey bub! Whatcha doin up there?”

Ethan giggled, tightening his grip slightly.

“It looks like you’ve got a little sloth stuck on ya,” Amy said to Mark.

“This ‘little sloth’ has been stuck on me all day. Isn’t that right?” He looked down at the boy, who giggled, hiding his face in Mark’s shirt.

“Aww,” Amy cooed. “Is the sloth ready to go? I heard we were going to my place.”

“We haven’t really been able to do anything,” Mark said. “If you could do me a favor and help get a bag for him, that’d be great.”

“Sure, just tell me what goes,” Amy replied, following the pair into Ethan’s bedroom.

“This bag?” she asked, picking up a backpack off the floor.

“Yup. So, I think we’re gonna need a change of clothes? He’s wearing clothes from yesterday,” Mark explained.

“Onesie or-“

“No, no, you’ve got one at your place, right? I mean for later. Just some regular stuff, some jeans and a shirt or something.”

Amy grabbed some clothes from Ethan’s closet before turning back to the others. “What else?”

“Shoes, since I don’t think he’s gonna cooperate with that,” Mark said. The boy looked at Mark and stuck his tongue out, making Amy giggle. Mark grumbled a little, and led Amy to the living room. “Um…shit, I never picked up the crayons. I was gonna say take those and the coloring books.”

“Don’t worry, I got it,” Amy assured him, kneeling down to pick up all the crayons that had been spilt the previous night.

“We’ve gotta work on not making messes,” Mark lightly scolded the boy.

“Sowwy,” Ethan said into Mark’s shirt.

“It’s fine, lil guy, we’ve just gotta work on it, that’s all,” Amy said from the floor. She’d gotten all the crayons back into their box, which she placed into the bag with the coloring books. “Anything else?”

“Yeah, just one more thing, I think.” Mark walked over to the kitchen, pointing Amy to the cabinet under the sink. “Cups,” he said. He noticed the half-drank cup of juice sitting on the counter. “You wanna finish your juice?” The boy nodded

“Amy if you could, uh, help us out?” Amy was zipping up the bag as Mark spoke, pulling it onto her shoulders.

“Here you go, bub,” she said, handing the cup to Ethan, who didn’t reach out for it. His arms were still clasped around Mark’s neck.

“It’s okay, I got you. You’re not gonna fall. Trust me.” Ethan hesitantly let go of Mark’s neck to grab the cup from Amy. He drank the remaining juice before handing the cup back. Amy put the cup in the sink and filled it with water.

“We all ready now?” she asked.

Mark looked at the boy facing him, raising a questioning eyebrow. “Les go!”

“Are you going to walk to the car?” Mark asked. The boy shook his head. Mark sighed, taking a moment to readjust the boy. “I thought so.”

They walked out to the parking lot. As they approached Amy’s car, Mark made to put Ethan down. “No!” he said, clinging to the man.

“What do you mean no? You want me to set you on the seat?” The boy nodded. “Okay then.”

Mark complied, setting the boy in the back seat. He put his hand on the door and was about to close it when the boy spoke again. “Sit wit me.” He scooched over to the middle seat.

“Whatever you want,” Mark mumbled, climbing into the backseat. He closed the door and instinctively reached over the buckle the boy’s seatbelt for him before buckling his own.

“Everyone buckled?” Amy glanced back at them. Mark gave a quick thumbs up.

…

They made it to Amy and Kathryn’s place (Mark carrying Ethan in). The moment they were in the door, Mark rushed to the couch to flop down. “Whoo, kid, you’re giving me a real workout.” A few beads of sweat had formed on his forehead, and he was nearly panting.

“A lil exercise never hurt anyone,” Amy quipped as she sat next to them.

“Tell that to my back,” Mark responded. Ethan had adjusted himself so that he sat in Mark’s lap facing Amy, and his thumb had sneakily made its way into his mouth.

“Hey E!” Amy said, smiling at the boy. “I’ve got a onesie for you, if you wanna put it on.”

Ethan removed his thumb. “Yeah. T’ees pants’re itchy.”

“I’ll get it for you.” Amy left the room, returning with a gray bundle of fabric. “Here ya go,” she said, holding it up for him to see.

“Ooh! Issa waccoon!” he said in delight as he saw the face and ears on the hood.

“Yeah, it’s pretty cool, right? You’ll be a lil raccoon!” Amy said, placing the onesie into the boy’s outstretched arms.

“Go ahead and put it on,” Mark said, patting the boy lightly on the back. “We’ll be here.” Ethan stood up (for the first time that day) and went to the bathroom. Mark groaned, stretching his legs.

“So what happened yesterday?” Amy asked.

“Uh, a lot of things. Long story short, me and Tyler went over to Ethan’s place for dinner, I asked him if he wanted to be Little, and he said yes. We played with him for a while, and uh, he got upset.”

“Aw, why?” Amy asked, concerned.

Mark explained what had happened, and his conversation with Tyler afterwards. “So, he’s pretty fragile right now, which, honestly I think is the reason he’s been stuck to me all day. So just be careful about what you say. Just…try to make sure you don’t say something that can be taken the wrong way. You know? Just be super nice, I guess that’s what I’m trying to say.”

“Or course,” Amy responded.

They were interrupted by a yell from the bathroom. “Mar’!”

“You okay in there?” the man called back.

“Need help,” the boy called back in response.

Mark raised an eyebrow at Amy before getting up. He stopped at the bathroom door and knocked. “Ethan? Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“No. Jus’ need help.”

“I’m gonna open the door. Is that okay?” Mark rested his palm on the doorknob, waiting for the boy to respond.

“Yeah,” came his muffled voice through the door.

Mark slowly opened the door, not knowing that to expect. The boy stood with the onesie on, though it was only halfway zipped up, the zipper sitting at his torso. “It gaw stuck,” the boy explained shyly.

“Alright, lemme see,” said Mark, relieved it wasn’t anything serious. He stepped forward to assess the situation. A piece of material was stuck in the zipper. Mark unzipped it a little and pulled the fabric out of the way, then zipped it the rest of the way up. “There we go,” he smiled at the boy.

“T’anks,” the boy mumbled, pulling the hood up over his head. Mark put an arm around him, leading him back to the living room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really like how this chapter turned out (sorry it ended so abruptly!)


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark and Ethan hang out at Amy's!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was originally intended to be part of the last chapter, but oops, here it is now :/

"There's the raccoon!"

The pair turned to look at Amy, who was standing at the table in the dining area attached to the living room.

"Whatcha got there?" Mark asked as they walked over, referring to the plastic tub set atop a chair.

"I thought we'd do some crafts," Amy responded as she began taking things out of the tub and setting them out on the table. "We've got some finger paint, macaroni and glue, glitter..."

"How about we do something that's not so messy," Mark interrupted. "For now," he quickly added. "We haven't eaten since yesterday," he told Amy. "And if I'm hungry, this little guy's gotta be starving."

"Okay...paper airplanes! You can make some paper airplanes and fly 'em while I make us some food. That sound good, bub?"

Ethan nodded, taking a seat at the table as Amy left to the kitchen. Mark sat next to him, grabbing a few papers off the stack at the edge of the table. He took one for himself and placed another in front of the boy. "Do you know how to make an airplane?" Ethan shook his head. "Just do what I'm doing; I'll show you. First you fold it in half," Mark said as he folded the paper, watching as the boy followed his instruction. "Good. Then-" Mark continued his explanation, the two folding their papers until they were planes.

"Ready to test 'em out?" Mark said, holding his plane to throw it. Ethan copied him. "One two, three, go!" Their planes soared across the room. Just then, Amy came out of the kitchen. She had o duck to avoid the high flying projectiles.

"Whoa, ya nearly got me!" she said as she continued towards the table. She set down the plates she had been carrying. Each plate contained a grilled cheese sandwich, though the one in front of Ethan was cut in half and had the crust cut off.

"T'anks, Amy," the boy said.

"Thanks," Mark echoed.

"No problem," Amy replied. She left the room briefly, returning with a sippy cup full of water. "Sorry bub, it's all we got. We really need to go shopping," she remarked.

Ethan didn't respond, busy chewing.

Once they were done eating and their plates were cleared, the trio focused their attention on the craft supplies laying before them.

"Finger paint or macaroni art?" Amy asked.

"Paint," Ethan decided.

Amy packed away the rest of the supplies, leaving out only what they needed. She set out large pieces of paper in front of each of them while Mark opened the paints. "Whatcha gonna paint, bub?" Amy asked the boy, who had already suck his fingers into the red paint.

"I dunno. Jus' lotsa cowors." He wiped the red on his paper, then stuck his fingers into the blue, inevitably mixing the colors.

"That's fun. Abstract art is the best kind of art," Amy said, carefully dipping a finger into the yellow.

"What;re you gonna paint?" Ethan asked.

"I'm making a rainbow," she responded, making a yellow arch. "What about you, Mark?"

"Wha?" Mark snapped his head up. He'd been watching Ethan as he worked.

"I said, what are you painting?" Amy repeated.

"Oh! Uh, space," he said, blobbing a few spots of yellow onto his paper. "See? Stars."

The three worked on their paintings for a while, with some light chatter throughout. Amy finished first, her painting neat and precise. Mark finished soon after, his painting was simple, but not sloppy. The pair watched Ethan as he continued making spots and smears on the paper in front of him. He stopped once most of the white spots had been covered.

"All done?" Mark inquired.

Ethan nodded, pushing his hair out of his face.

"Oh, you got a little paint on your forehead," Amy remarked.

"Let's go get washed up," Mark said, leading the boy to the bathroom. "Make sure you don't touch anything." They made it to the bathroom sink without incident. Mark turned the faucet on for Ethan, who scrubbed his hands clean. Mark followed suit. Before he turned the water off, he grabbed a washcloth off the shelf and wet a corner. "C'mere." He cupped the boy's face, using the washcloth to wipe the paint from his forehead."There we go." He rinsed off the washcloth, leaving it in the sink. The pair then exited the bathroom.

Amy was sitting on the couch. "Should we watch a movie while our paintings dry?"

"Sounds like a good plan. Right,E?" Mark led the boy to the couch, where they sat side by side. Ethan nodded lazily.

They decided on Aladdin, Ethan sneakily scooching his way into Mark's lap as Amy put on the movie. Just as it began, Ethan tapped Mark on the shoulder.

"Yes?"

"Paci?" the boy mumbled, quickly growing distracted by the tv.

Mark's head snapped up to look at Amy. "Crap, I think we left it."

"Hang on." Amy sprung from her seat, leaving Mark puzzled and slightly panicked.

"Here ya go." Amy returned with a yellow pacifier in hand, giving it to Mark.

"Amy to the rescue!" Mark cheered.

"Yay Amy!" Ethan echoed. Mark gave the boy his paci, slipping it carefully into his mouth.

"Did you forget you gave me that?" Amy half whispered, not wanting to talk over the movie.

"It completely slipped my mind," Mark admitted. "Good thing I did though. I wouldn't want to upset him again." He absentmindedly rubbed the boy's back.

...

The movie had finished, and Ethan was fast asleep on Mark's lap. Mark and Any were chatting when he woke up. Mark was the first to notice.

"Hey bud, have a good nap?"

Ethan jerked his head up, eyes flying open. He spit his pacifier into his hand, nearly falling over in his haste to stand up.

"I take it you're not Little anymore?" Mark sat up, stretching his limbs.

Ethan shook his head, a blush quickly rising to his cheeks. "Sorry!" he blurted out.

"What for?" Mark asked.

"...Everything. Making you carry me around and stuff. You didn't have to-"

"It's all good. I needed the exercise,"

"I just don't want to burden you with-"

"You stop right there," Mark interrupted sternly. "You are NOT a burden. You never have been and you never will be. Do you understand?" Ethan gave a small nod. "Good. And you don't ever have to apologize for being Little."

Ethan smiled in appreciation, still standing awkwardly. "You've got clothes in your bag if you want to change," Amy piped up.

"I-I'll do that," he mumbled, grabbing the bag to change.

"You're good with him when he's Little," Amy remarked.

"So I've been told," Mark responded.

Ethan returned a few minutes later, fully dressed. "I left the onesie and the uh, I left them in the bathroom. I don't know where you want them..."

"That's fine, I'll get to 'em later," Amy replied.

...

The trio talked and hung out fora few few more hours, Amy eventually dropping the other two off at their homes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this was so short! But, I do have a few things in mind...how would y'all feel if I included Jack in this (mayyybee as a Little who knows ;) )? Because the idea hit me smack dab in the face, and I can't get it out of my mind! Would you guys enjoy that? (Just for a few chapters though).


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack comes to visit and finds some things he isn't meant to find

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been really excited to write this chapter!

It had been roughly two months since Ethan had told the team about his little secret. Things were going smoothly; they'd all adjusted to the situation. Ethan went into littlespace more often than he had before, and his Little side was quite fond of Mark (and vice versa). Mark outright refused to leave Ethan's side when he was Little. The others teased him for being so protective, but he didn't mind. He was just looking out for him.

It was around this time that Jack came to visit. It'd been too long, he'd said, and the others agreed. They rarely saw Jack, and when they did, it was almost always at conventions. It'd be fun to hang out with him for a week.

On the day Jack's flight came in, everyone was gathered at Mark's house. Mark pulled Ethan into another room.

"You don't want Jack to know about your Little side, right?"

Ethan had thought about it a lot since he'd learned of Jack's visit. He still looked up to Jack, and he didn't want him to think he was weird. And it wasn't like they saw each other often enough for him to notice anything. He'd just have to avoid going into littlespace for a week. Piece of cake.

Ethan shook his head.

"Okay, I'm just making sure. I'll have Tyler put away the stuff at the office later."

Ethan gave a mumbled "thanks," before Mark left, heading out to pick up Jack from the airport.

...

The plane landed smoothly, though this did nothing to settle Jack's nerves. Sure, he was excited, though his anxiety outweighed his excitement. He was always nervous when he was in a foreign place, especially without Signe. She was his anchor; she made him feel safe. He was a little bummed that they'd scheduled things so that she was visiting family when he flew out to LA, but he was glad he came. He was dying to spend time with Mark and the rest of Teamiplier, as they were called.

Being without Signe wasn't the only reason he had to be nervous. In the past, he'd only visited for weekends, and usually stayed in a hotel. This time he'd be staying at Mark's for a whole week. It'd be much harder to hide the part of him he didn't want anyone to know about when he was practically living with a person for a week, around people every day. Jack hoped he could manage. It wouldn't be too hard to stay Big for a whole week, would it?

...

Jack was relieved when he saw Mark, rush towards him with suitcase in hand. They exchanged a hug before walking out to Mark's car. They caught up on the ride to Mark's house. The conversation soon tapered off into small talk.

"How is everyone?" Jack asked, tapping his foot. He was growing a little restless.

"You can ask them yourself. Everyone's kinda waiting for us at my place," Mark admitted. "Sorry if that's a little overwhelming, to be around a bunch of people after getting off a plane," he added apologetically.

"No, no, it's fine. I'm fockin' pumped to see you guys. I just might need a break sooner than I normally would."

They arrived soon after. The moment they stepped inside, Jack was bombarded with "Hey!"'s and "It's good to see you!"'s and "How was your flight?"'s. Jack greeted everyone before sitting on the couch. They all talked for a few hours, sharing stories and having some laughs before Mark spoke up.

"Alright, we've all caught up, but I think Jack's pretty worn out. I think it's time for us to go our separate ways."

"What're you breaking up with us?" Ethan joked. Everyone laughed, including Mark.

"Yeah, it's pretty late, we'll let you settle in," Tyler said.

Mark got up to let everyone out. Once the guests had filed out, he returned to Jack. "You're in the guest room," he said. "Shall I take up your suitcase?"

"Such a gentleman," Jack said playfully. "But no thanks, I got it."

Mark led the Irishman up to the guest bedroom, Jack setting his suitcase atop the bed. "I'll leave you to unpack," Mark said. "I'll be downstairs if you need anything." Jack mumbled a response as the man left, and closed the door as quietly as he could when he was sure Mark was downstairs.

He opened the top drawer of the bedside dresser, shoving clothes into it. He dug out a fuzzy green bear from his suitcase, pausing to simply hold it in his hands. This was the only comfort item he'd brought with him. He didn't even bring his paci. He knew he couldn't be Little while he was here, so what was the point in bringing any of his things?

He carefully tucked the bear into the drawer, making sure to hide it under his clothes. He closed the drawer, and moved on to the bottom one. He pulled it open, and saw that there were already things inside. Mark must've forgot to clear it out, he thought. He was about to close the drawer when his brain finally processed what was in front of his eyes. The drawer contained a few toys, a plush bunny, and...

Jack gasped. A red pacifier sat at the top of the drawer. His mind was going a million miles a second. Did Mark have a relative stay with him that had a kid? No, Jack realized as he studied the pacifier. It was clearly intended for an adult. Why would he have this? Mark couldn't be..?

Jack quickly closed the drawer, stumbling to the bed. There was no way Mark could be a Little, Jack would have noticed! But then again, there could be no other explanation. Why else would Mark have this stuff?

Jack finished unpacking, hesitating before going downstairs. Should he ask him about it? He quickly dismissed that idea. That'd be one hell of an awkward conversation, and how would he explain how he knew what being a Little was? There were too many variables. He could do nothing, and forget he ever found anything. But then again, the curiosity had already begun to eat away at him. In the end he decided not to say anything, but keep an eye on his friend, at least for now.

...

"Hey." Mark looked over at Jack, who was descending the stairs.

"Hey," Jack responded, sitting on the couch next to Mark. He was watching some action movie. Jack watched the movie, though he kept sneaking glances at the other man.

"What, am I so hot you can't keep your eyes off me?" Mark grinned, winking.

Jack blushed, embarrassed by being caught. "Ya know I missed yer sexy face," he replied to avoid giving a real explanation.

"You know what? A movie's a waste of a night, especially your first night here. Let's do something else," Mark suggested.

"This movie's boring anyway," Jack agreed.

"I know. Let's plan the week. I've got a rough idea of what we're doing, but I'm sure you'd like to weigh in on things."

"Sounds good."

The rough draft of their schedule went something like this: they'd record something tomorrow, and go drinking afterwards (per Mark's suggestion. "Just because I can't drink doesn't mean you guys can't."). They'd show Jack around LA on Monday, maybe get a vlog out of it. On Tuesday they'd go to the beach, though they were unsure about filming. On Wednesday, they'd have a hardcore filming day at the office. They scheduled the mandatory Disney day for Thursday, leaving a lazy day for Friday.

They went to bed soon after they finished planning. Jack lay in his bed, clutching his bear, fighting the urge to suck his thumb. He was already struggling to keep from slipping into headspace, plus he'd given himself the task of observing and analyzing Mark's every move. This was going to be a long week.

...

Ethan snapped awake, tears running down his face. He'd had a nightmare so scary it had woken him up. The thunderstorm outside only made things worse. Sniffling, Ethan reached for his phone, clumsily scrolling through his contacts. He knew he had slipped, but couldn't bring himself to care. He was scared and he wanted his Mark.

...

Mark was startled awake by the sound of his phone going off. He blearily opened his eyes, grabbing his phone. He sleepily looked at the name before answering. "Ethan it's two am," he grumbled.

"Mar'?"

Mark's sleepiness drained away. he knew that voice. "What's wrong, bud?" he said, more gently this time.

"Scawed." This time he heard the sniffles.

"I'll be right there bud." Mark sprung out of bed and headed downstairs, not bothering to put on shoes or even a shirt as he grabbed his keys and took off out the door, not even fazed by the rain.

...

 _Thud thud_. Ethan jumped, covering his face with his blanket. Was it the monster from his dream? Was it coming to get him? The boy's fears were quickly put to rest as he heard a voice through the door. "It's me, bud, it's Mark. Open up." He could barely hear it over the storm, but he did hear it, and ran to open the door.

The sight of Mark soaking wet in nothing but his pajama pants would have made his Big self laugh, but instead Ethan flung his arms around the man, holding on for dear life.

"Let's get inside," Mark mumbled, slowly stepping forward as the boy stepped back. He closed and locked the door behind him. "I'm gonna get you all wet," Mark said.

"Don' care," the boy mumbled into his shirt. "Cawwy me?" Mark wanted to protest; he didn't want the boy to get cold and wet, but when he looked into his vulnerable eyes that were red from crying, there was no way he could say no. He picked the boy up, carrying him to is bed. The boy allowed him to set him down and cover him up. mark sat on the corner of the bed.

"You're okay, E. It's just the rain. Go back to sleep."

Ethan yawned, slowly closing his eyes. He'd nearly dozed off when he felt Mark get up. His eyes sprung open. "Don' leave me!" he cried.

Mark's heart ached as he heard the boy's cry. He felt guilty leaving Jack alone as his house, but how could he leave Ethan here alone when he was so small and scared?

"I won't!" he said, quickly going back to the bed. "I'll stay until morning," he promised.

Ethan had sat up and now held his arms out, reaching for him. Mark scooted closer, wrapping an arm around the boy. He used his other arm to reach into the drawer beside the bed, which he knew held a pacifier. He gave the boy his paci, rubbing soothing circles into his back. "Shh, you're fine. I'm here." He repeated this until the boy started nodding off. he slowly lowered the both of them until they were laying down, and did his best to cover them with the blanket before dozing off himself.

...

Jack was awoken by the sound of the front door opening and closing. He sat up and looked at the clock on the dresser. Where in the fuck was Mark going at 2am? He didn't think much of it in his tired state and quickly passed back out.

...

Jack woke up at seven (weird time zones, man). He got up to use the bathroom, passing Mark's room. Noticing the door was open, he peeked inside. Mark wasn't there. jack shrugged, figuring he was downstairs.

Jack was startled when he didn't fins Mark downstairs. Then he remembered hearing Mark leave last night. Where the hell could he be?

He helped himself to some coffee and sat on the couch, turning on the tv. He'd just have to wait for his friend to return.

...

Ethan woke up startled to have arms wrapped around him. he spit out his paci as he remembered last night's events. "Fuck!" His exclamation was enough to wake the man lying in his bed.

"Whasamattr?"

"What do you mean, what's the matter? One, it's fucking seven in the morning and you left Jack alone at your house, and two, I went into headspace last night and I promised myself I wouldn't while Jack's here!"

"Calm the fuck down," Mark mumbled. "It's not like you slipped in front of him." He finally sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"That's what I'm afraid of," Ethan said, his hands covering his face.

"You'll be fine. Give yourself more credit, man. You never slipped in front of us for over a year."

"That was different." Mark almost didn't hear it. "What was different?"

"Then. It's harder now."

"Why is it harder?" Mark looked concerned.

"I dunno, it's just, it happens more often now. And I go deeper into headspace than I used to. Plus I haven't tried to fight it in months."

"You'll be fine. And even if you do slip, Jack's a good guy. He'd be understanding." Mark looked down at his bare torso. "Can I borrow a shirt?"

"Yeah, sure, take whatever." Ethan responded, tucking his paci into the drawer.

"Get dressed," Mark said as he put on a shirt.

"What?" Ethan gave him a puzzled look.

"Get dressed," Mark repeated.

"Why?"

"Because we're leaving." Mark said this like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"But won't Jack-"

"It doesn't make any sense for me to leave and come back to pick you up in like an hour," Mark interrupted. "And if Jack asks any questions, you deflect them to me, and I'll deflect them with shitty jokes. So come on, get dressed."

...

Mark unlocked his door and stepped inside, followed by Ethan. The last thing he was expecting to see was a wide eyed Jack staring at them from the couch.

"Morning," mark said brightly, obviously faking his optimism.

"Morning..?" Jack's eyes flickered between the two before he took a sip of his drink. The pair were thankful that he didn't ask any questions.

Mark took off to his room while Ethan rummaged through the kitchen, looking for something to eat.

...

Nothing Jack was seeing was making any sense. Mark was a Little and was cheating on Amy with Ethan? What, in the absolute FUCK, was going on?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I reeeaalllly like how this turned out! I have plans for the next chapter and hopefully I'll have it up soon!


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack's second day sure is eventful...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is mostly plot, though I was eager to write this chapter in particular!

The three ate breakfast together in silence. No one dared speak, each avoiding making eye contact with anyone. It wasn't until Ethan left to the bathroom that Jack spoke.

"Are you two, like, sleeping together?"

Mark spit out the coffee he'd been drinking. "God no." His mind raced, trying to come up with a satisfying explanation for last night. "Ethan's been having a rough time and he didn't want to be alone with his thoughts and everything."

"Oh." Jack didn't seem completely convinced, though his gaze lightened.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention it to him. He didn't really want you to know."

"Of course. I just didn't realize that was going on."

"Don't worry about it. Some days are just worse than others, ya know? He's really excited you're here though." Mark felt bad lying to his friend, but what else was he to do? It's not like he could tell him what was really going on.

After this conversation, some of the tension had dissipated. They were all back to their normal talkative selves by the time they made it to the office a few hours later.

...

 They recorded some videos for a few hours. Nothing too hectic, just some CAH and playing video games on the couch. They had fun; recording just felt like hanging out. Mark did catch a few lingering glances from his Irish friend, but didn't think much of it.

...

Jack was having fun, though he was distracted by the thoughts lingering in his mind. He had been watching Mark all day, and nothing stuck out to him. He didn't _act_ like a Little. He didn't show any signs, at least none that Jack could see. But he had to be, right?

Jack stared at Mark from across the table, absentmindedly chewing on his thumbnail. Realizing what he was doing, he quickly moved his hand to his lap. He moved his glance from Mark to Amy and Kathryn behind the camera before looking back to the others. Tyler was rummaging through his cards, and Ethan was chewing on his lip, staring into space. Jack sighed, returning his attention to the game as Tyler put down his card.

...

"Who's ready for some drinks?" Mark said. They'd  wrapped up, killing most of the day at the office.

"Fock yeah," Jack said. He could use a distraction from this confusing ass situation, whatever it was, that was going on around here.

They drove to a bar in their separate cars. They ordered their drinks, joking and laughing. Jack was talking to Amy and Kathryn when he noticed that the other three had disappeared. The place was pretty big and crowded, so it wasn't surprising that he couldn't spot them. He shrugged it off, excusing himself from the conversation to go to the bathroom.

A few seconds after Jack had closed the stall door, the door to the bathroom opened. He didn't think anything of it until a pair of voiced echoed through the tiled room.

"Are you okay?" The voice was Mark's. 

"Feel funny. Dizzy. Don' like it." The second voice was unmistakably Ethan's. Jack held his breath, not wanting them to know he was there. He felt like this wasn't a conversation he was meant to hear.

"Do you want to go home?"

It was silent, though Jack could only assume that Ethan had nodded.

"I'll tell Tyler to take you home, okay?"

Suddenly, Jack heard sniffling. Mark had said that Ethan wasn't doing great, but was it really this bad?

"What's wrong, bud?" Jack froze. Mark's tone had changed. He recognized that tone. It was the tone Signe used when he was feeling small.

"I'm doin it again, an, an, I'm not s'possed to an Jack's here." Jack's eyes widened. His mind was fuzzy from the alcohol, but he finally pieced things together. He'd found the pacifier in the guest room, not Mark's room. He'd been so busy watching Mark that he hadn't realized what was right in front of him. Ethan was the Little, not Mark. Everything was starting to make sense.

"It's not your fault, little guy. Jack's not gonna see you like this."

Jack felt a pang of guilt in his chest. He knew he shouldn't be eavesdropping, but it was too late now.

"Tyler's gonna take tou home, okay?" Jack heard the door open and close. He let out the breath he had been holding, sagging against the stall door. So Ethan was a Little. There was no doubt in Jack's mind. He tried to figure out what to do. He couldn't do nothing. He wanted confirmation for the sake of his sanity, and honestly, his Little self wanted someone to play with. But it wasn't like he could just casually bring it up. He shook his head, deciding he'd  deal with it later.

...

Mark and Jack were alone in the car, driving to Mark's house. Jack had had a considerable amount of drinks, and conversation was on and off. It wasn't until they were pulling into the driveway that Jack let out the question he'd been dying to ask.

"Is Ethan a Little?" There goes subtlety.

"Fucking-" Mark screeched, turning off the car. "Gonna make me fucking crash into my own goddamn house," he mumbled under his breath. He unbuckled his seatbelt, struggling for words. "I-he- Inside," he finally said, getting out of the car without looking at him.

Jack gulped, following Mark inside. They both stood awkwardly by the door. "Fuckin, sit." Mark seemed to be struggling with his words. Jack sat on the couch, though Mark began to pace in front of him. 

"Can ya focking stop? Yer makin me dizzy."

Mark complied, though he didn't  sit. "How- how did you know?"

Jack cringed slightly, not wanting to admit he'd been eavesdropping. "I was in the bathroom," he simply said.

The color drained from Mark's  face. "You heard..?" Jack nodded. "Shit," Mark mumbled. "Shit shit shit." He tapered off, looking at the ground. Jack saw his expression change from panic to suspicion. "Wait. How do you even know what that is?" He looked up at Jack, who shrunk into his seat. Shit. He didn't really think this through. He blushed, avoiding Mark's gaze as he spoke. "I-I kinda am one too."

"What the fuck?!" Jack looked up at the man, alarmed. "Really, what in the fuck? What are the fucking odds of-" he shook his head, and Jack was relieved to see that he wasn't angry or upset. Just genuinely flabbergasted. "So you're-" Jack nodded. "You're serious? You're  not shitting around?"

"I'm serious."

"...Can I tell him? Cuz that's a hell of a secret to keep. And it's  only fair that he knows about you since you know about him. Just saying." 

"I-" He didn't think this far ahead. "I mean, yeah, I guess. Just- can ya not tell the others? I don't think I'm ready for that."

"Uh, sure. Absolutely. That's your choice to make." Just then, Mark's phone started ringing. "Sorry," he said to jack as he answered his phone.

"Mark?" Jack could hear Tyler's voice coming from the phone.

"What's up?"

"Ethan, he's crying, and I don't know what to do. He keeps saying he wants you."

Mark glanced over at Jack before responding. "Bring him over here."

"But what about Jack?"

"He's asleep," Mark lied. "Passed out from all that booze. It'll be fine, just bring him over." Mark hung up the phone before plopping down next to Jack. 

"Are you his...caregiver?"

Normally, Mark would've snapped up, stumbled through a few "What?"'s, and avoided the question, but he was too mentally exhausted to do so. Instead, he simply shrugged. "I dunno, man. We haven't talked about it, but it's starting to feel that way." Mark picked his head up to look at Jack. "Not to kick you out or anything, but it'd probably be best if you were upstairs when they get here."

"Yeah, sure, of course."

"I'll uh, I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

...

Mark answered the door to see Tyler carrying the blue boy bridal style. He quickly stepped out of the way to allow them to get inside. As Mark closed the door, Tyler set the boy down onto the couch, where he curled into himself. He was sniffling, his eyes puffy from crying.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know what to do." Tyler spoke in a hushed voice.

"It's fine. I've got it from here You go home." Tyler gave Ethan a sympathetic glance before he left.

Mark went to the kitchen, returning with a sippy cup full of water. "Hey bud," he said softly. "You still don't feel good?" He sat down next to the boy, allowing him to cry into his shirt. He felt him nod as he put an arm around him. "Poor little guy," he cooed, rubbing the boy's arm. "How about you drink some water? Can you do that for me?"

Ethan slowly lifted his head up to look at the man. mark looked back at him sympathetically. He looked so pitiful, so vulnerable and so worn out. He gave a slow, single nod, though he didn't move. Mark carefully pulled the boy into his lap so that he was sitting sideways. He lifted the cup to the boy's lips, slowly tilting it so he could drink. He drank a little bit of the water before leaning his head against Mark. They both dozed off soon after. It'd been a long day for the both of them.

...

Jack woke up with a pretty bad headache. He regretted the last few drinks he'd had the night before. He stumbled downstairs, intending to get a glass of water. He stopped at the bottom of the staircase, however, when he saw Ethan and Mark on the couch. They were asleep, Ethan curled up in Mark's lap. Jack was about to creep back upstairs when Ethan opened his eyes, making direct eye contact with the Irishman. His eyes widened as he hastily stood up. "I-I can explain!" he stuttered. His sudden movement had woken Mark.

"What's going on?" The man looked from Ethan to Jack. "Oh. Uh, Ethan, we have something we need to talk about."

"What the fuck does that mean?!"

Mark decided not to beat around the bush. "Jack knows."

He could see the look of betrayal that flashed across the blue boy's face. "You told him?!"

"No," Jack spoke up. "I figured it out."

"How-"

"Hang on," Mark interrupted. "I think we should all take a deep breath and calm down, sit down, and have a nice, CALM conversation." He motioned for the others to sit. They complied, each taking a seat on either side of Mark. "Now, I think Jack has something he wants to say." He turned to look at Jack.

Jack wanted to say  _I'm not a kid,_ but figured that wouldn't be appropriate, considering what he was about to say. "I-I'm a Little." He avoided their eyes, though he spoke loud enough for the others to hear.

"What?!" Ethan nearly yelled.

"I said  _calm,_ " Mark said to the boy. "Alright. Now I think Ethan has something he wants to say." He looked at the boy.

Ethan gave him a puzzled look. "What am I supposed to say?"

Mark gave a patient sigh. "Jack just told you he's a Little, so you should tell him..."

" _I'm_ a Little..?"

"Good. We got that out of the way. Now, how are we feeling?"

The other two glanced at each other, both feeling a little patronized. neither were small right now, though Mark was treating them like they were. Jack decided to speak up. "Relieved, I guess? And a bit excited, I suppose. I never thought I'd meet anyone like me, especially someone I was already friends with."

"Ethan?" Mark looked at him expectantly.

"What? Oh, I don't know. I'm still kinda nervous."

"At least you don't have to worry about Jack finding out anymore," mark pointed out. "That reminds me, we're gonna have to keep this to ourselves. Jack doesn't want anyone else to know."

Ethan nodded slowly. "Okay."

"Okay, what else should we talk about while we're here? Jack, are you comfortable talking about your Little side?"

Jack nodded. He still felt weird talking about it, though he was comforted by the fact that mark knew what he was talking about.

"How old are you when you regress?"

Jack thought about it for a moment. "It varies. Sometimes I'll feel like I'm six, sometimes I'll feel like I'm two, or anything in between, really. It depends on the day."

"Ethan, same question."

"Four, if I had to put a number on it." Ethan was chewing on his thumbnail.

Mark noticed that his answer was different than when he'd first asked him, so many weeks ago. He decided not to comment on it. "Don't chew you nails, bud," he said instead. Ethan let his arm drop. "Do you want your paci?" The boy blushed and shook his head, glancing at Jack.

"It's fine," Jack said. "I've got one too. I didn't bring it though," he added sadly.

"Why not?" Mark asked. 

"Well I wasn't planning on being Little while I was here," Jack replied.

"...Are you planning on it now?" Mark asked cautiously.

'I mean, It'd be a wasted opportunity if I didn't."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will absolutely be a play date in the next chapter, just so you know! Also, I am fully aware this entire story is riddled with typos, I apologize (most was written on mobile, the rest is just me being bad at typing). I will go through this soon and fix everything.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack and Ethan meet each other's Little sides, and Mark might need some advice for taking care of Little Jack

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to do more, but I figured I'd just post what I have now and make the rest another chapter...enjoy some adorableness!

Mark told the others to take a lazy day. They could all use a rest after last night’s drinks, he’d said. They’d just skip the plans they’d made today. In reality, Mark was making plans of his own. The two Littles had shyly agreed that they’d like to spend time with each other while in headspace, and Mark was trying to figure out a plan of action. Jack didn’t have any of his comfort items, and while Mark’s house was equipped to handle one Little, he didn’t have much there.

“Here’s what we’re gonna do. I’m going to go to the office and Ethan’s place to pick up some things. Will you two be okay here by yourselves?”

“We’ll be fine,” Jack said.

“Okay, just making sure. You two stay here and get comfortable around each other. I won’t be gone long,” Mark promised as he got up to go. “Oh, keys?” He looked at Ethan expectantly.

“I…don’t have ‘em. I think Tyler left the door unlocked though…”

“That is _not_ safe,” Mark sighed. “Okay then, I’ll be back in a little bit. You two…stay safe! And you’d better not just sit there in silence the whole time!” Mark said as he left. The two colorful haired boys were now alone.

…

Ethan wanted to be small. He felt the fuzziness settling in his mind, but was instinctually fighting it. He was too shy to let himself be Little in front of Jack. He started biting on his bottom lip, tapping his feet lightly.

Jack was having the opposite problem. He wanted to be Little, he so desperately did, but he couldn’t feel himself slipping at all. His brain just didn’t want to let go. He glanced over at Ethan. “Yer nervous too?”

The blue haired boy looked up from the ground to look at his friend. “Kinda,” he mumbled. “It’s jus pretty scary to be Little in front of someone for the first time. And I’ve never met another one before.”

“I know what ya mean,” Jack said with a small smile. “I’m pretty much in the same boat here.”

Ethan smiled back. “Yeah, I guess you are. It does make me feel better that I’m not alone in this,” he said. He realized that Jack had more reason to be nervous. Jack was in a new place without his Little things, while he was in a familiar place, plus he had Mark. He suddenly felt bad for his friend. He pulled his knees up to his chest, biting on his nail.

Jack realized that Ethan was starting to slip. Slightly frustrated that he was unable to do the same, he stood. “I’ll be right back,” he said. The other boy watched him as he went upstairs. He returned shortly, sitting back down next to Ethan. He was holding a green plush bear. It instantly caught the blue boy’s attention.

“Ooh, what’s their name?”

“Her name’s Clover,” Jack answered, hugging the bear slightly into his chest. The combination of the familiar feel of his plush toy and the sight of Ethan slipping further finally made him start to slip.

“I have one too,” Ethan said excitedly. “Mar’ better bring him.” He looked around for his phone. “Aw, Ty didn’t bring my phone. He better bring that too!”

“You can use mine,” Jack offered. Another trip upstairs and he was back with his phone, handing it to Ethan. “There, jus press call.”

Mark picked up on the first ring. “Jack? Are you guys okay?”

He was surprised to hear Ethan on the other end. “Mar’?” He was more surprised to hear that he was Little.

“Yes? Are you okay? Did something happen?”

“We’re fine. I jus wanned to make sure you got Bwownie. An my phone. Ty didn’ get it las night.”

“I’d never forget Brownie,” Mark assured him. “And I’ll make sure I get your phone. Anything else?”

“Ummmmmm…” Ethan stuck his tongue out slightly. “Nope! Thas it!”

Mark chuckled. “Alright. Hey bud, is Jack Little too right now?”

Ethan looked at Jack, sitting with his bear. He wasn’t doing much, just watching him as he talked on the phone. “I dunno,” he said.

Mark let out a small sigh. “Okay. I’m about to be on my way back. You two be careful, okay? Don’t get into trouble.”

“Okay, bye!”

“Bye, bye, lil blue.”

Ethan hung up the phone, giving it back to Jack. “T’anks!”

“Yer welcome,” Jack mumbled, setting the phone down on the arm of the couch.

“Wha’s wrong?” Ethan asked. “You’re so quiet.”

“Not’in’s wrong,” Jack said. “Woosh says I’m quieter when I’m Little. She says it’s cute.” He felt a small pang of sadness. He missed his Woosh.

“Oh. Mar’ says I talk a lot when I’m Little.”

Jack didn’t give a verbal response, just nodded vaguely. He was chewing on his nail. “Do you wanna paci? There’s one here but I dunno where it is.”

“It’s in one’a the drawers in the guest woom,” Jack supplied. “Found it when I got here.”

“I’ll get it for you!” Ethan offered, springing up. He nearly ran up the stairs. He came back, triumphant. “Here.” He handed the green haired boy the paci. Jack hesitated before he slipped it into his mouth, instantly comforted.

“Today’s gonna be so fun!” Ethan told his friend excitedly. “We can play lotsa games, an color, an race cars, an, an, play legos! We got lotsa stuff to do!”

Jack’s eyes lit up. He too was extremely excited to have a playmate.

…

Mark walked in to see a bubbly Ethan talking animatedly to a wide eyed, pacifiered Jack. He smiled at the sight, immensely relieved that they were getting on well. “Hey guys,” he said, carrying in a few bags. “How’re you doing?”

“Hi Mar’!” Ethan called from the couch. “I’m tellin Jack ‘bout the stuff we’re gonna do!”

“Are you now?” Mark said. “Is Jack doing alright?”

Jack looked over at Mark, nodding his head a few times.

“He’s quiet,” Ethan told the man. “But I don’ mind.”

“I think you can talk enough for the both of you,” Mark teased as he approached the couch. He set the bags down on the floor. “I’m putting your phone on the counter.”

“T’anks!” Ethan called back to him.

Mark returned a few moments later. He crouched down in front of Jack. “Hey Jackaboy,” he said gently. “I’ve got some onesies here, if you wanna put one on.” He figured that Ethan’s onesies would fit the Irish boy, as they had a similar build. He pulled a few out of a bag. One was green, and had dinosaurs printed all over it, and the other was blue, with a cute hood that looked like a shark.

Jack pointed to the green one. “Good choice. Do you need help or can you put it on yourself?” Mark asked.

The green boy pulled the paci from his lips. “Can do it myself,” he said, taking the onesie from Mark, marching to the bathroom.

Mark turned his attention to Ethan. “Do you want your paci? I got your blue one,” he said, knowing it was his favorite.

The boy shook his head. “Not righ’ now.”

“You’re feeling talkative, huh? Are you excited?” Mark himself was pretty nervous. He wasn’t sure he could handle two Littles on his own.

The boy was practically bouncing in his seat. “Uh-huh.”

The door to the bathroom opened, and Jack stepped out shyly. “Your turn,” Mark told Ethan, handing him the other onesie. The boy snatched it up, rushing past Jack to the bathroom.

“Hey Jack. Come sit down.” Mark patted the couch beside him. The green haired by dragged his feet along the carpet as he made his way over. He sat next to Mark, though not too close.

“Do you want a paci, little guy?” Jack looked up at Mark with wide eyes. “There’s the red one, and I also brought a green one and a purple one,” Mark said, pulling them out of a bag and holding them out. Jack cautiously grabbed the green one, still a little wary of Mark.

Mark smiled at him softly. “I don’t bite,” he said gently as the boy put the paci in his mouth. “Green paci for a green bean.”

Jack blushed at the nickname. “Don’t be afraid to tell me if you need anything, okay? I know you’re not used to me, and I can tell you’re shy, but I’m here,” Mark assured him.

“O’tay,” the green boy said around the paci, causing Mark to smile affectionately. He was trying to figure out how old the boy was, but was having trouble doing so. He hadn’t been around him long enough to know how he normally acted.

Ethan came out of the bathroom with his onesie on. “I’m back!” he announced. He plopped down onto the floor and started rummaging through the bags. “Look Jack! Here’s Bwownie, he’s a puppo.” He held up the stuffed dog for the other to see. “Do you wike to cowor?” he asked the Irish boy. Jack nodded, sliding down to sit on the floor. Ethan pulled out a variety of coloring books, along with two huge boxes of crayons.

“Hold it there, bud,” Mark said. “I don’t think you need both of those. There’s plenty for both of you in one box. Here, give me the other one.”

The boy happily handed the second box to Mark before laying out all the coloring books. There were five (two from Ethan’s place and three from the office). They were as follows: Star Wars, superheroes, Frozen, animals, and ocean themed. “You pick fiwst,” Ethan told the other boy. Jack looked them over, then pointed to the one with the animals. “You take that one, an I’ll take…this one!” The blue boy grabbed the ocean themed one before laying down on his stomach, opening the coloring book. Jack copied him, laying down next to him. Ethan opened the box of crayons and poured them out in the space in front of them. “We have lotsa cowors. Evewy cowor.”

Mark smiled as he watched them from the couch. Ethan had taken charge, making an effort to engage Jack in a way that he didn’t have to talk. He kept asking him yes or no questions, and simply telling him things about what he liked. He was proud of him for being so friendly and welcoming to the other boy.

While Mark was happy the two were getting along, he still had concerns. He’d never met Little Jack before today, and he didn’t know what he needed. He seemed to be younger than Ethan, and he was a different person, after all. He wished he’d had a longer discussion with Jack before he’d slipped. Wait a second. There was an obvious answer, he realized. He could ask Signe. He figured Jack would be okay with it. He reached for his phone before realizing he didn’t have her number.

“Jack?” he said, catching Ethan in between sentences. The two paused their coloring, turning to look back at him. “Is it okay if I use your phone?” The boy nodded, and they both turned back to their coloring pages. “I’ll be upstairs for a minute, okay? Just yell if you need anything,” he told them.

“Kay,” Ethan replied, not even bothering to look up. Mark went upstairs, leaning against the hallway wall as he found Signe’s number. He sighed, feeling a little bit guilty. Jack would be okay with this, right? He just wanted to call Signe to know how to properly take care of him.

He pressed call. She picked up after a few rings. “Hello?”

“Uh, hey, Signe.”

“Hi Mark..?”

“Oh yeah, sorry to call you on Jack’s phone. I didn’t have your number,” he explained.

“Is everything okay?” He could hear both the confusion and concern in her voice.

“Yeah, everything’s fine. Just…did Jack tell you? About…everything that’s happened in the past day or so?” He must’ve told her, right? But just in case he didn’t, he started off slow.

“Not really? He called last night to say goodnight, but he didn’t say anything else. Did something happen?”

“Uh…” He wasn’t sure how to start. He knew he’d have to tell her about Ethan to explain the situation, but he felt bad that he hadn’t asked him first. “So…Jack told me about his Little side.” He was met with a long silence. “Signe?”

“I’m still here.” More silence. “…Why?”

Mark bit his lip before he began. “…Ethan is a Little. Jack figured it out. That’s why he told us. And I wouldn’t have called, I would’ve let him tell you himself, but…”

“But?”

“He’s Little right now and I have questions? Like I don’t know what he needs or likes or…anything. I’m asking for help here.”

“Okay, um…” she still seemed to be processing the new information. “He’s Little right now?”

“Yeah.”

“How deep is he?”

“I have no clue.”

“Well how is he acting? What is he doing right now?”

“He’s coloring with Ethan,” Mark replied. “He has a paci, and he hasn’t really talked much.”

“It seems like he’s on the younger end,” Signe said.

“Is he always this quiet?” Mark asked.

“He goes nonverbal sometimes when he’s younger,” she explained. “But I think part of it is because he’s around new people. He’s pretty shy. He talks more when he’s in an older headspace.”

Mark nodded before realizing she couldn’t see him through the phone. “Okay. Is there anything I need to know? I’m basically just working off of what Ethan is like.”

“How old is Ethan? Are they getting along? Sorry, I’ll answer in a sec.”

“No, it’s fine. He’s about four, I think? And they’re getting along well. Ethan’s a chatterbox, and they’re both excited to have someone to play with.”

“Good.” Mark could sense the relief. “Now, hang on a second, let me think…he usually takes a nap on days when he’s Little, especially when he’s younger. We don’t have a set time for it, but if you notice he’s yawning, just put him to bed. He’ll sleep for about an hour. Oh and, um, don’t tell him I told you this, but once in a blue moon he’ll have an accident. It’s almost always when he’s sleeping. It doesn’t happen often, so you probably won’t have to deal with that, but be aware, just in case.”

“Oh.” Mark was silent for a moment. He hadn’t considered that possibility. “O-okay. If it happens, I’ll take care of it. He’s in good hands.”

“I’m sure he is.”

“Anything else? What does he like to do?”

“Honestly, if I know him, and I think I do, he’ll probably go along with whatever you suggest. He does like coloring, and he doesn’t really play pretend. He’ll watch pretty much whatever movie you put on. He’s an easy baby,” she said affectionately.

“That makes my job easier,” Mark laughed. “Thanks for helping me out here. I don’t know where I’d be without you.”

“You’re a good guy, Mark. Ethan has a good daddy.”

Oh. Mark felt his stomach flip. He didn’t respond to the comment, just squeaked out a goodbye before hanging up the phone. He didn’t know how to feel. He slid down against the wall until he was sitting. It made sense that she’d assume he was… He stared down at the back of his hands. _No_ , he thought. _I can’t sink into a puddle of insecurity. Not right now_. He knew he had to talk to Ethan about it, but not now. He’d wait until Jack left, at least. He didn’t want to complicate things while they were having fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...maybe I lied last time...just a tad...there is Little Jack and Ethan...but it's not quite a playdate...not yet. Don't blame me I just go where the story takes me. The next chapter will DEFINITELY be a full-on playdate.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The two boys have some fun together!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Playdate! (finally) Hopefully you like it; honestly I'm not completely satisfied with this chapter, but I do think it's cute!

By the time Mark went back downstairs, the boys were nearly finished with their coloring pages. He made a detour to the kitchen to put Jack’s phone on the counter before he returned to the living room. He sat on the couch, watching over the two as they finished their coloring. He noticed that Jack’s paci was sitting beside him.

“Do you wike legos Jack?” Ethan asked as he sat up, closing his coloring book.

The green haired boy nodded. “Me an Mommy play legos at home.”

Ethan was obviously happy that the other boy was talking. “Do you wanna pway legos now?” Jack nodded. Ethan reached back into the bag, searching for them.

“Hang on a sec. We forgot to pick up all these crayons!” Mark said, getting onto the floor. He grabbed the box and started putting crayons back in. “We can get it done faster if you two help,” he said, gently encouraging them to pitch in. They did, both gathering up crayons and handing them to Mark. “Good job,” he told them both, setting the box aside. “You can get the legos out now.”

“Yay!” Ethan exclaimed as he got out the box and opened it, dumping them out onto the floor. “C’mon, Jack, les make a castle!”

Mark stood up to sit back onto the couch, though he was stopped by Ethan. “Mar’, you help too. You can make a tower for the king.” He turned his attention to the other boy. “Mar’s good at legos. He can build anything! We can make the walls aroun the tower, an a draw bridge!”

“Okay,” Jack said, sticking pieces to the board.

They didn’t talk much as they built, too concentrated to focus on conversation. Before long, they (mostly Mark) had finished the castle. “Yay! It’s done! Jack, you wanna put the king on top of the tower?” Ethan held out a lego person to Jack. He took it, sticking the feet to the top. The trio admired their work.

“Are you ready to take it apart?” Mark asked the pair. Jack looked to Ethan, wordlessly telling him to answer.

“Can we take a picture?” the blue boy asked.

“Sure!” Mark agreed. He took out his phone. “Just the castle, or do you two want to be in it?”

The two looked at each other. “Do you wanna be in it?” Ethan asked. Jack nodded slowly. “Okay.” They both moved closer to the castle, sitting on either side of it.

“Smile,” Mark said, adjusting the camera so they were in frame. The boys both grinned happily as Mark snapped the picture. “Got it!” he said.

“Now we can take it apart,” Ethan said, removing a chunk from the wall. Jack helped, copying Ethan. Pretty soon, the legos were tucked away in their box.

“What do you wanna do now?” Ethan asked Jack, who shrugged.

“Doesn’ matter,” he said.

“Do you guys want to go outside? It’s nice out, and I’ve gotta let Chica out anyway,” Mark suggested.

“Ooh! Can we?” Ethan was bouncing a little in excitement.

“Of course!” Mark said.

“Do you wanna?” Ethan looked to the other boy.

“Yeah,” Jack said, nodding enthusiastically.

Mark called for Chica (who had been sleeping in his room) and opened the back door, allowing the other two to go out while he went digging in the closet nearby. Finding what he was looking for, he joined the others outside. “I’ve got some bubbles and chalk,” he announced. The boys had been petting Chica, though Mark had caught their attention.

“Ooh,” Jack said.

“Bubbles!’ The blue boy mimicked his enthusiasm. “Can you blow ‘em for us?”

“I sure can,” Mark said, unscrewing the lid. He pulled out the wand, blowing the bubbles out into the yard. Ethan giggled, dashing around to pop them. Jack was more reserved, standing in one spot, reaching out to pop the few that strayed near him.

“C’mon, Jack!” Ethan said, grabbing his hand, pulling him with him as he ran around the yard. Jack gave in, giggling as he was pulled along. Soon, they were both running and jumping to pop the bubbles, giggling as they did. Even Chica joined in, puzzled when a bubble disappeared as she tried to eat it. Mark smiled at the scene before him. The two seemed to be having the time of their lives.

They played on for a good bit, and while Mark didn’t want to stop the fun, he was tired of blowing and the bottle was already more than half empty. “Sorry guys. I think that’s it for the bubbles.” The two gave nearly identical pouts.

Ethan’s face brightened. “Thas okay. We can do chalk now. Right?” he asked Mark.

“Go for it,” Mark responded, beckoning to the small box of chalk. They all sat down on the pavement of the patio, the boys a bit worn out from all their running around. Ethan opened the box, scooching it between him and Jack. “What’re you gonna make?” he asked.

Jack shrugged. “Dunno yet.” He grabbed a yellow piece of chalk.

“I’m makin a dino,” Ethan told the other boy, grabbing the green chalk. He began scraping it to and fro across the pavement. Jack went slower, making a yellow circle, adding lines around it. He drew a face inside, letting out a yawn as he did so.

Mark didn’t miss it. He noticed that Jack was getting sleepy, as the movement of his arms were sluggish, and he’d began rubbing his eye with his clean hand. “Are you two done with your drawings?” he asked.

“Yup!” Ethan said, putting the chalk back into the container. Jack nodded slowly, raising a hand towards his mouth.

Mark gently intercepted the hand before it could make its way into the boy’s mouth. “Let’s get washed up. Then we can get you a paci. Sound good?” Jack nodded sleepily, allowing the man to lead him back inside. “Ethan, can you go wash your hands?” he asked the boy.

“Yup!” He dashed off to the bathroom.

Mark led the other boy to the kitchen sink. “Let’s get you cleaned up,” he said gently, turning on the tap. Jack allowed him to scrub the chalk off. “That’s better,” Mark said, walking back over to the living room to retrieve the green paci. “Here you go.”

Ethan emerged from the bathroom, showing Mark his hands. “All clean.”

“Good job, bud.”

“What now?” Ethan asked, sitting on the couch.

“I think Jack here needs a nap,” Mark said, looking down at the boy. His eyelids were heavy. He looked like he was ready to pass out.

He could see the look of disappointment on Ethan’s face. “You sit tight. I’ll be right back, okay?” He grabbed Jack’s plush bear from the couch, leading the boy slowly upstairs. They entered Jack’s room, Mark leading the tired boy to the bed. He was compliant, obediently slipping under the covers, clutching the bear Mark had handed him. “Night, Jackaboy. Just call for me when you wake up,” he said gently. Jack didn’t respond, his eyes closing slowly. Mark backed out of the room, half-closing the door behind him.

“I’m back,” he said as he entered the living room. Ethan was sitting on the couch, his knees drawn up his chest. “Sorry, bud. Jack needs naps sometimes,” he told the boy.

“It’s okay,” Ethan said, picking at his sock. He looked a little glum.

“We can do something,” Mark offered, trying to make him feel better.

The boy thought for a moment. “Movie?” he asked meekly.

“Sure,” Mark said. “Pick whatever you want.”

Ethan picked out a movie from the shelf, and Mark set it up. Ethan sat on the couch with his stuffed dog, waiting for Mark to return. He reached into a bag, digging around until he found what he was looking for. He stuck his blue paci into his mouth.

Mark sat back down on the couch. “C’mere,” he mumbled. The blue boy climbed into his lap. This was their usual movie-watching position. The movie started, and Mark didn’t even notice his phone buzz from the kitchen.

…

 

_Knock knock._ Ethan was nearly launched from Mark’s lap as the man jumped in surprise. He quickly scooted Ethan out of his lap, grabbing the remote to pause the movie. He rushed to the door, looking out the peep hole. Amy. Why was she here? Not that he didn’t want to see her, but…now wasn’t the best time. He didn’t want to expose Jack, but he couldn’t just tell her to go away. He opened the door.

“Hey,” she said. “I tried calling but you never picked up. Is everything okay?” She stepped inside, noticing the blue head of hair sticking out over the couch. “Ethan’s here?”

The head of hair turned around. “Hi Amy!” he waved.

“Hi, bub!” She gave Mark a puzzled look.

He didn’t respond, going back over to the living room. “I’ll be back in a little bit. I’m gonna talk to Amy,” he explained, unpausing the movie for the boy. He went to the kitchen, waving over his girlfriend.

“So…what’s going on?” Mark grimaced. He hated lying, especially to Amy, but he had to. He couldn’t betray Jack’s trust. He just prayed that the boy didn’t wake up now, or else there’d be a lot of explaining.

“Ethan wasn’t feeling too good last night,” Mark explained. “So Tyler brought him over here,” he said truthfully. “He stayed here all night… and Jack found out. He was really good about it.” He wasn’t technically lying…but he still felt bad about leaving out a vital piece of information.

“…oh. That’s good, that he didn’t freak out or anything. Where is he now?”

“Asleep,” Mark said. “Jetlag, and all.”

“Ah. Is it okay if I stay for a little while?”

“Of course,” Mark said, internally starting to panic. He really hoped, for Jack’s sake, that the boy stayed asleep for a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this wasn't longer! I'm not a million percent sure what's going to happen next and figured this was a decent stopping point (also it's nearly three am).


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack wakes up from his nap...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this one's kinda short too, but...enjoy!

The trio sat on the couch watching the movie, Ethan snuggled between the two. Mark kept glancing towards the staircase. He stood up. “I’m gonna go make sure Jack’s okay,” he announced, going upstairs. What was he going to do?

He slowly pushed open the door to Jack’s room. “Hey.” Mark was surprised to see that he was awake.

“Uh, hi.” Mark hesitated. “How old are you right now?”

Jack shrugged. “I’m kinda in between right now. Could go either way. I heard Amy come in,” he added.

“What do you want to do about it? You can trust her, but I completely understand if you don’t want to-“

“I thought about it,” Jack said. “And…I’m okay with her knowing. And Tyler and Kat. If they were good about Ethan, they’d be good about me too, right?” Mark could sense the apprehension.

“Definitely,” Mark assured him. “And you’re sure about this? There’s no going back after. I just don’t want you to change your mind after it’s too late.”

“I’m sure,” Jack said. “Jus…can you tell her for me? I’d do it myself, but…I kinda wanna be small right now. And Ethan’s waiting for me to come back,” he said shyly, hugging his knees to his chest.

“Sure. I-I’ll go down and tell her, and I’ll come get you after I’m done. Is that okay?” The boy nodded.

Mark headed back downstairs. “Is Jack okay?” Amy asked from the couch. Mark hesitated before answering. “Yes…” He grabbed the remote and paused the movie. “There’s something I didn’t tell you.” He didn’t sit. “Jack…Jack-“

“Jack..?” Amy raised an eyebrow.

“Dammit, I thought this would be easier to do. Jack’s a Little.”

“Oh! Why didn’t you tell me?” She seemed pleasantly surprised.

“He didn’t want you to know. But I talked to him, and he changed his mind,” Mark explained.

“We don’ hafta keep it secwet anymore?”

Mark ruffled the boy’s hair affectionately. “Nope.” He turned his attention back to Amy. “He’s awake now, and he’s Little. He’s pretty shy, so don’t take it personally if he doesn’t talk right away.”

“Got it.” She gave a thumbs up. Mark gave a small smile, going back upstairs.

“Jack?” he called gently. Jack was sitting on the bed, his legs swinging lightly off the side. “Are you ready to go downstairs?” The boy nodded, grabbing his bear. “Alright, come on.” Mark held out an arm, setting it around the boy’s shoulder. They walked down the hallway, though Jack stopped when they reached the stairs. Mark looked back at the boy. “I know it’s a long way down, but I don’t think I can carry you.” He’d attempted the feat with Ethan once, and had nearly broke his ankle. He wasn’t eager to repeat the experience.

“’s’okay,” Jack mumbled, though he hung onto Mark’s side as they slowly took the steps down.

“Hi Jack!” Ethan waved excitedly from the couch. Jack waved back shyly, eyeing Amy.

“Hey there, bub.” Amy smiled warmly.

“H-hi,” he mumbled, lowering his gaze.

“We’re watchin a movie,” Ethan said. “Come sit!”

The green boy looked up at Mark, as though asking permission. “You’ll be fine,” Mark said. “Sit down next to Ethan. I’m going to go make us something to eat, okay? You just watch the movie.”

Jack complied, dragging his feet as he walked to the couch, sitting next to his friend. Mark pressed play on the remote before going off to the kitchen.

They watched the movie, Amy occasionally glancing over at the boys, who were holding their stuffed animals. Jack only pulled out his paci from his onesie pocket when he saw Ethan do the same. He was still nervous to be there, and was following the other boy’s lead. If Ethan wasn’t embarrassed to have his paci, then he shouldn’t be either.

…

After they’d finished eating, Ethan was ready to play again. “C’mon, Jack, les play cars!” He practically dragged his friend from the table and into the living room. He found the car mat from the office in one of the bags, unrolling it so it lay flat on the floor.

“Wow,” Jack said, mesmerized. “That’s so cool!”

“We gots lotsa cars too.” Ethan found them in the same bag, dumping them out as he sat on the floor by a corner of the mat, Jack following suit.

Mark and Amy sat at the dining table, watching the boys as they rolled the cars across the carpet while they (mostly Ethan) chattered away. “They’re precious,” Amy said.

Mark chuckled. “Yup. Honestly, I’m a bit relieved you’re here. I wasn’t sure if I could handle them on my own. Not,” he said, “that they’re any trouble. I’m just glad to have backup,” he amended.

“No prob,” Amy said.

“Not that you _have_ to stay or anything,” Mark added quickly. “You can go if you w-”

“I’m happy to be here,” Amy interrupted. “And a million percent willing to help.” She smiled fondly at the boys.

“You’re the best,” Mark said genuinely.

…

“Can we play a game?”

Mark looked up from his phone. “Sure,” he told the blue boy. “What game do you want to play?”

“Shoots an ladders?”

“Sure,” Mark said. “Does Jack want to play?” Jack nodded from behind the other boy. Mark looked at Amy. “You up for a good ol’ game’a shoots?”

“Always.”

Mark got the game out from the closet and set it on the table. Ethan opened the box, setting up the board.  He let Jack pick his character before picking his own, giving the other two to Mark and Amy.

“Who goes firs?” Jack asked.

“You can go,” Ethan said. “An we’ll go ’roun the table.”

Jack flicked the spinner and moved his piece on the board.

…

Over the course of the game, water had been spilled on the table, the spinner had broken not once but twice, and Ethan had somehow ended up sitting on Mark’s lap. “Jack wins!” Ethan said as the boy made it to the final square. “An I got second,” he said, as his piece was only a few spaces behind.

“Good job, guys,” Amy said.

“Good game,” Mark added. The boys mimicked him. “Good game,” they said in unison, followed by a few giggles.

Mark yawned. “Are you two getting tired?” They both shook their heads. “Of course not,” Mark muttered. “How about another movie? It’s Jack’s turn to pick.”

“Okay,” Ethan said. “I’ll show you where the movies are.” He grabbed Jack’s hand, leading him to the shelf of movies. They returned with a disk, Jack handing it to Mark.

“Wall-E. Good choice.” He put the disk into the player, stepping back to sit on the couch. He sat on the end, Ethan climbing into his lap. Jack sat next to them, with Amy on the other end.

It was about halfway through the movie when Mark fell asleep, his head resting on the back of the couch. Ethan was snuggled against him, and was starting to doze. Jack, however, was fidgeting, and kept re-adjusting himself. “You can lay down if you want, bub,” Amy said gently. “You can put your head in my lap.” She smiled gently at him. Jack hesitated before laying his head in Amy’s lap, curling his legs so that he could fit.

“T’anks,” he said around his paci.

“No problem, bud.” She ran her fingers soothingly through his hair. Jack didn’t last much longer; he was asleep in no time, leaving Amy the last one awake. She waited a while before she stopped the movie and turned the tv off. Then she too leaned her head back against the couch and let sleep take her as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates may not be as frequent as they have been recently- only because I feel like I've been half-assing these past few chapters. I want to spend more time writing them and making sure there are no mistakes (either grammatical or plot-wise), and have longer chapters. I'm not taking a break, just so that's clear. I write every single day, even if I don't post it.


	16. Not an update...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this isnt an update

It feels like forever since I've posted anything (even tho it's only been a week). I've been busy...overnightwatch fucked me up then my body decided it was going to make me sneeze every 2 seconds, and now it's christmas. wowie time flies right? But anyway, I have half a chapter written so hopefully that'll be done soon. BUT I did make a tumblr for requests! So if you want me to write a short fic (or even long fic who knows, my level of motivation wavers) please send me requests there! You can request platonic stuff, ships, (I'm willing to try my hand at x reader stuff) or even more stuff like this! The only thing I'm not willing to do is smut. So please feel free to request things there! I'm literally dying for motivation! https://just-a-fuckin-loser.tumblr.com/


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark and Ethan have a chat with Tyler

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this is kind of a filler chapter.

Ethan opened his eyes blearily, slowly looking around. He was curled up in Mark’s lap, Jack and Amy beside them. He was the only one who was awake. He wasn’t feeling Little, but he didn’t get up right away, taking a moment to revel in the feelings of safety and comfort that he felt sitting with Mark. Eventually he decided to get up to check his phone. He carefully turned, placing his feet on the floor, rising slowly, as to not wake the others. He quietly walked over to the kitchen to retrieve his phone. Turning on the screen, he saw he had seven messages: one from Kathryn and the rest from Tyler. He decided to check Tyler’s first.

_Did you ever make it home?_

_Are we still going to the beach today?_

_Do I need to pick you up?_

_Are you okay?_

_No one’s answering but Kathryn are you okay???_

_If no one answers in the next 20 minutes I’m driving to Mark’s_

Ethan grimaced, leaning back against the counter, still sucking on his pacifier. He closed Tyler’s messages before opening Kathryn’s.

_Mark’s not answering. last i heard u were there. everything good?_

Ethan stuffed his paci into his pocket as he walked back to the couch. He considered for a moment before carefully sitting back down on Mark’s lap. There wasn’t room anywhere else on the couch anyway. He lightly nudged the man’s shoulder. “Mark,” he whispered, trying not to wake the other two on the couch.

The man opened one eye. “What?” he grumbled before closing it once more.

“Well wake up, you idiot,” he whispered in annoyance.

Mark opened his eyes, looking down at him. “I take it you’re Big right now?”

Ethan huffed. “Yeah? That doesn’t matter, I’m tryna ask you something.”

“Well ask then.”

“Should I tell Tyler and Kat? Update them, ya know? They wanna know what’s going on, and Tyler maayyy be on his way over? Possibly?”

Mark cursed under his breath. “I forgot they don’t know.” He glanced at the sleeping figure curled up beside him. “Go ‘head, tell ‘em. Get it over with.”

Ethan turned his attention back to his phone, deciding to text Tyler first.

_Are u actually coming here?_

_If by here you mean Mark’s then yes. I just pulled up._

The pair heard a car door. Ethan sighed, rushing to send another text.

_dint knoc ill grt te dr_

He jumped up, racing to the door. He didn’t want to wake the two still asleep on the couch, nor did he want Tyler to be too shocked once he stepped inside. He unlocked the door, cracking it open.

Tyler peeked through the small opening. “Hello…is everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine,” Ethan assured him. “Just keep your voice down, and follow me to the kitchen.”

“Why?” Tyler looked puzzled.

“There’s a discussion we need to have.” Mark appeared behind Ethan, making the boy jump. He opened the door wider, allowing the tall man to get inside.

Tyler glanced over at the couch, noticing the blonde head of hair sticking up over the back. “Amy’s here?” The only response he got was Ethan pushing him into the kitchen.

Tyler raised a questioning eyebrow as he faced the two, Ethan hopping up to sit on the counter. Tyler seemed to notice his attire for the first time. “You’re wearing a onesie?”

Ethan rolled his eyes. “Brilliant observation.”

Mark looked over at the blue boy with a baffled scowl. “Why the fuck are you so sassy right now?”

“I dunno, I’m just not a morning person. Sorry. Anyways, that’s not the point of why we’re here.”

“What _is_ the point?” Tyler looked back and forth between the other two, concerned, before a wave of realization washed over his face. “Did Jack find out?” He looked at Ethan.

“Weelll…” the boy said, drawing out the word. “I mean, yeah. But wait, there’s more!” he said, somewhat dramatically.

The tall man raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue.

“Jack’s a Little. Like me.” The blue boy was unable to stifle the small grin that accompanied his words.

Tyler looked taken aback. “Wow. I didn’t expect…wow.” He looked at Mark. “Is that why you cancelled yesterday? What has even been going on? I feel like Kathryn and I have been left out of the loop.”

“Shit!” Ethan said suddenly, startling the other two. “I forgot to text Kathryn.” He frantically began typing into his phone.

Mark turned his attention back to Tyler. “To answer your question, yes, that’s why I cancelled yesterday. We kind of had a playdate.”

“Aw, that’s cute,” Tyler said.

“S’not cute,” Ethan mumbled, blushing.

“It was kind of cute,” Mark teased, bumping his shoulder.

“Stoopppp,” Ethan whined, still not bothering to look up from his phone.

“Anyways,” Mark said, “I don’t know what we’re doing. I didn’t want to wake Amy and Jack. When they wake up, I’ll ask Jack if he still wants to go to the beach. If he doesn’t, I guess we’ll just hang out here. Do you want to go to the beach?” He addressed Ethan.

The boy looked up from his phone. “I dunno. I do if Jack wants to.” He began to bite his lip as he looked down again.

“Don’t do that,” Mark gently scolded him. “Where’s your paci?”

Ethan blushed deeply. “But I’m not-“

“Doesn’t matter. Use it when you need it. No one’s going to judge you,” Mark assured him. “I promise.”

Ethan avoided making eye contact as he fished his paci from his pocket and put it in his mouth.

…

Amy and Jack woke up at about the same time. Jack was half in headspace, feeling a little dazed. He sat up, blushing as he remembered he’d fallen asleep with his head in Amy’s lap. “Morning, bub.” Amy’s friendly smile made Jack relax a little.

“Mornin’” he mumbled, his speech muffled by the pacifier in his mouth. He spat it out hastily, setting it on the couch beside him. He looked around. “Where’s Mark and Ethan?”

“We’re over here,” Mark’s voice called from the kitchen.

Ethan walked into the living room, plopping down on the couch beside Jack. “Tyler’s here too,” he informed him, talking around his paci. “Jus’ so you know.”

“Oh.” Even though Jack knew there wasn’t a problem, he still felt anxious. He started fidgeting with his hands, looking down at his lap.

“It’s fine,” Ethan said to his friend. “We told him ‘bout yesterday, an he’s cool with it. Jus’ like we said he’d be.”

“O-okay,” Jack mumbled.

“Oh, an Mar’ said to ask you if you wanned to go to the beach today.”

“Oh.” Jack took a moment to think. “It sounds fun.”

“So you wanna go?”

“I-I guess. If everyone else does,” he said shyly.

“Then we’re going to the beach!” The boys jumped, forgetting Mark was in the next room. They met eyes, giggling. It was going to be a fun day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this was so short and uneventful, honestly it's due to laziness. It took me 2 weeks to write this, geez! The next one will be better, promise!


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fun day at the beach!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry I've been super lazy, the beginning is pretty droll simply because I didn't feel like writing everything out, sorry if it seems rushed.

The morning passed rather quickly, the bunch getting ready for their day trip. Tyler drove Ethan to his place to get some things (mainly clothes), Amy drove back to her place, while Jack stayed with Mark. They had all agreed that the girls would meet the other four at the beach in a few hours.

Ethan and Tyler had returned, Tyler and Mark sitting at the table while the boys (now in their regular clothes) sat on the couch. The pair jumped as Mark spoke, neither hearing him approach the couch from behind. "Hey, guys." He spoke gently.

The boys both turned to look back at him.

"I know this is a weird thing to ask and all, but...it's gotta be asked. Are you two okay with being Little at the beach? The beach is fun, and I want you guys to have the best time you possibly can, but I realize that you might...not want to...you know. And that's okay too," he added, tripping over his words slightly. "We can still have a good time if you guys don't want to-"

Ethan waved him off, glancing over at Jack. He was looking down into his lap, eyebrows furrowed, seemingly deep in thought. "I hadn't thought about that," the green boy mumbled.

"I mean, I dunno." Ethan glanced back up at Mark, looking a bit disappointed. 

"You can, if you want to!" Mark exclaimed, trying to cheer the boy up. He couldn't stand seeing him sad. "We'll just find a secluded spot, and no one will bother us. It'll be fine, I promise."

"I-I guess. I guess I'm okay with being Little. I'm not sure if I'll really be able to slip though. I never have in public before. It sounds kinda scary."

"Same here," Jack mumbled, not looking up.

Mark could feel the apprehension seeping from them. "It's fine, whatever you do. I just want to make sure we don't try to get you guys to slip if you're not okay with it."

"We're okay with it," Ethan mumbled, worrying at the sleeve of his hoodie. Jack nodded in assurance. 

...

They arrived at the beach a few hours later, after a stop at a store where Tyler was sent to get some sand toys. The boys in the backseat stared out the window, stealing half-nervous half-excited glances at one another. "We're here!" The silence was broken by Mark, who had parked the car in a parking lot next to the sand. The stretch of sand in front of them was vacant; they were only able to see a small group far off to their left. It seemed like they wouldn't be bothered.

As they got out of the car, Amy and Kathryn pulled up next to them. They exchanged greetings, Jack giving Kathryn a tentative wave. 

"C'mon, let's go find a good place to set up," Mark told the boys as he grabbed a few towels from his trunk, handing them to them as he grabbed a folding chair. He marched off over the sand, leaving the other two with no other choice than to follow.

"This good, you think?" Mark set down the chair a few yards from the shore, setting it up. 

"Yeah, it's good," Ethan replied, laying out a towel a few paces in front of the chair, motioning for Jack to do the same. The pair sat patiently atop the towels as the three they'd left behind approached. 

"You left us with all the heavy lifting," Kathryn scolded Mark.

"Yeah,  _you_ guys are the ones doing the heavy lifting," Tyler huffed, dropping the things he'd been carrying. 

"Stop bickering." They all stopped and looked at Ethan, who was currently biting his lip.

"Sorry, bub," Kathryn said, still a bit caught off-guard. He'd never complained about their bickering before....

The silence was interrupted by Tyler clapping his hands together. "Okay, I've got some sand toys here," he picked up a moderately sized bucket, "so why don't we build a sandcastle?" The boys looked at each other before looking back at the tall man. 

"Okay," Jack said. He and Ethan stood up, following Tyler as he led them a brief ways away from their towels, leaving Mark and the girls to set up the umbrella.

Tyler dumped out the various items onto the sand, allowing the boys to look them over. "I'll go get some water," he said, taking a pail to the shore.

Ethan glanced at Jack. "Are you okay?"

Jack looked up at his friend, rubbing his chin lightly. "Y-yeah. You?"

"I think so," Ethan said, biting his lip and running his fingers through the sand. "It's weird, to be out like this, and wanna be small. I-I kinda feel small, but I'm still kinda scared."

"Me too," Jack mumbled, looking out onto the ocean. He decided that he'd try to take control of the situation. "But it's okay," he said to the other boy. "We're fine. We can jus' have fun. The others will take care of us," he said, trying to assure his friend.

"Yeah." Ethan smiled at Jack, his words already working to make him feel more relaxed. 

"I'm back!" Tyler announced as he sat down beside them, sloshing pail of water in hand. "Let's build a castle!"

...

"Ugh, it's all stuck between my fingers!" Jack complained, holding his hand out and flexing his fingers to demonstrate.

"A little sand's not going to hurt you," Tyler teased. "If it really bothers you, just run over to the water and rinse it off," he suggested.

Jack didn't verbally respond, sticking to picking at his fingers.

"It's jus' sand, Jack. You're gonna get more on your hands no matter what you do. An we're not even done makin' the castle!" Ethan said, flipping over a pail of sand. "Do you wanna make a moat?"

Jack was distracted from his fingers. "Ooh, yeah!" His eyes lit up as he begun digging up the sand around their nearly complete castle, following Ethan's lead. He suddenly didn't care so much about the sand stuck to his hands.

"We need water," Ethan said when they had made a channel around their castle.

"Do you want me to get it or-" Tyler began. 

"I got it!" Ethan was already on his feet, pail in hand as he rushed to the sea front. 

"Be careful!" Tyler called out to him. 

The blue boy returned shortly after, panting. He unceremoniously dumped the water into the moat they had built.

"Whoa, careful there, Eth," Tyler said. 

Ethan ignored him. "Jack, Jack, Jack, you gotta c'mere!" He grabbed the other boy's hand excitedly and tugged on his arm. "C'mon!"

"What is it?" Tyler asked for Jack.

"I saw a starfish an it looks really cool! Jack, come  _on._ " He'd finally managed to get Jack on his feet, and the two were rushing out to the shore.

"Don't go too far!" Tyler called out to them, going over to sit with the others. 

Mark looked up from his conversation with the girls. "Where are they going?"

"Ah, Ethan saw a starfish, they're going to look at it," Tyler explained, leaning back on the chair, glad to finally relax.

"I don't really think they should be out there alone," Amy mused.

"I'll go keep an eye on them," Kathryn volunteered, getting up from her seat. She made her way over to the boys, who were kneeling by the shore. "Hey there."

The boys looked up at her. "Hi Katwin," Ethan said.

"Hi Kat-Kater-"

"You can call me Kat," Kathryn said, seeing how Jack was struggling to pronounce her name.

"Hi Kat," the green haired boy said shyly.

"What are you two looking at?" She peered over their shoulders. They were kneeled over a small pond, created by the bunches of rocks that formed the perimeter. It was bursting with marine life. "Ah, you found a tide pool!" the brunette said brightly.

"Whas a tide pool?" Ethan asked.

Kathryn kneeled down beside the two. "It's what you're lookin' at," she said. "Whenever the tide goes down, some water stays in areas where there are rocks and things to hold it there, and some creatures from the ocean also get stuck in there. It's like a really small version of the ocean."

"Woww," the two mumbled in unison, staring at the organisms moving around inside the small pocket of ocean.

"It's pretty cool, right? You two are lucky you found one. They can be a bit tricky to find." She scooched closer. "Let's see...we've got a starfish there, an urchin, a few lil jellyfish, a small anemone, some seaweed, and oh, this one's even got a few lil snails in there. You really found a good one, didn't you?" She smiled down at them affectionately. They paid her no mind, simply mesmerized by the small ecosystem before them.

They stayed there for a while, the boys occasionally asking Kathryn what something was (even if she'd already explained it before), before they eventually got tired and decided to go sit back with the rest of the group. "Are you guys ready to go?" Mark asked from his chair.

"Aww," the two pouted, though without much enthusiasm. 

"You two seem pretty tuckered out. I think we all are. It's time to go home now," Mark said gently. "C'mon, let's pack everything up and go."

"I'm too tired to walk," Ethan complained, laying back on the towel.

Mark sighed. "You want me to carry you?"

Ethan's eyes lit up. "Yes pwease."

Mark turned his attention to Jack. "Do you need to be carried too?" 

Jack nodded shyly.

"Okay, that's fine. They'll pack everything up," he glanced at the others, "while I sit here with you guys. Then Tyler will come back and carry one of you, and I'll carry the other. Jack, does it matter who carries you?"

Jack shook his head slowly. Now that he'd spent time with them both, he was comfortable around both Mark and Tyler. He didn't mind if one of them carried him. And honestly, if he did, at this point he'd be too tired to care.

After the cars were packed up, all that remained were the boys. "Alright, c'mere," Mark said, allowing Ethan to latch onto his front, wrapping his arms around his neck. Tyler carefully put a hand behind Jack's back, the other underneath his knees as he slowly lifted the boy. The two men slowly made their way towards the car, careful not to loose their footing in the sand. They made it there, thankfully without incident. They carefully set the boys in the backseat, both bucking their seatbelts for them before getting in their own seats. By the time they took off, both boys were fast asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It feels good to be at this again! I haven't been super productive lately (especially in regards to this fic), but I'm working on getting back on track! I hope you guys liked this chapter!


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a lazy morning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in 24 hours??? I must be a magician!

Ethan woke up in a bed that was not his own. Yawning, he sat up and looked around. He was in Mark’s room. He rubbed the drowsiness out of his eyes, trying to recall how he’d gotten here. He remembered taking a quick shower the night before, and he remembered tripping on the stairs, though he didn’t recall much else. Looking down at himself, he saw that he was wearing a t shirt and sweats.

He trudged his feet to the door, slowly pulling it open. The house was silent; it seemed like he was the only one who was awake. He tip-toed down the hallway, peeking into the guest room, where he saw Jack’s sleeping figure curled up on the bed. Ethan was careful not to make a sound as he made his way past the door, watching his feet as he walked down the stairs. Upon reaching the bottom, he had a view of the couch, where Mark was sleeping. He was sprawled out, an arm hanging off the side and a leg somehow slung over the back. He felt guilty for taking Mark's bed. It was his house, after all. He sighed and tip-toed to the kitchen to get himself something to drink, opting for a regular glass instead of a sippy cup. 

He sat down at the table for a while, scrolling through social media. He was replying to someone on twitter when he heard Mark groan. He stood up, peeking into the living room. Mark had awoken, and was stretching his arms over his head as he yawned. The man turned his head to crack his neck when he noticed the figure standing in the doorway. "Mornin' blue," he muttered, cracking his back. "What're you doing up?"

Ethan shrugged, slipping his hands into his pockets. "What are you doing hovering there, come sit down." Mark patted the cushion beside him. Ethan obediently walked over and plopped down on the couch, curling his legs up to his chest.

Mark put an arm around him, pulling him to lean into his torso. "How're you feeling?"

Ethan could sense the double meaning. "I'm fine," he mumbled, resting his head on the man's shoulder. "I'm feeling Big," he added, glancing up at his friend.

Mark nodded. "Alright. If Jack's feeling Big too, we were supposed to make some videos today. That sound fun?" He rubbed the boy's arm affectionately.

"Maaarrkk," Ethan groaned.

"What?"

"You're treating me like I'm small," Ethan complained, though he didn't move away.

"Sorry," Mark said. He hadn't realized he was doing it. "Just a habit, I guess." Without thinking, he bent his head down to place a kiss on the top of the boy's blue mop of hair.

"What was that for?" Ethan mumbled lazily, shifting to look Mark in the eye.

Mark shrugged. "You're just too cute." He gave the boy a genuine smile.

Ethan blushed, hiding his face in Mark's shirt. "Stooopp."

Mark chuckled as he reached an arm out to grab his phone. "Whelp, we've gotta wait for Jack to wake up now," he stated.

"Yup," Ethan agreed, pulling out his phone as well. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is v short, it's more like a mini chapter, since there isn't really anything relevant to the plot here. I just figured this would make for a good filler chapter.


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Recording day!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this chapter is alright!

Jack woke up unsure of where he was. He glanced around nervously. He was about to call out for his Woosh when he remembered where he was. He was at Mark's. He was safe. 

Thinking about Signe made him realize how much he missed her. It had only been a few days, but it felt like an eternity since he'd seen her. Now that he was thinking about it, had he ever updated her on all the things that had happened? Jack furrowed his brow as he reached for his phone, deciding to call her. He just wanted to hear her voice.

Signe picked up almost immediately. "Hello?"

Jack felt himself immediately put at ease. "Hi Woosh!"

"How's my sweet boy?"

Jack smiled. "I'm fine."

"Mark told me about you and Ethan. You're okay, right?"

Jack's smile faded the slightest bit. "I'm fine. I didn't know Mark told you."

"We talked the other day. He just wanted to make sure you were alright."

"Oh."

"Are you having fun? Are you and Ethan getting along?" Her tone was light, but Jack could hear the underlying concern.

"Yeah. It's been lots of fun. Mark is really nice, and Ethan's fun. We played a lot, and we went to the beach yesterday." Jack didn't realize how eager he'd been to tell her about all the fun things he'd done.

"Wow, really? Did you make a sand castle?"

Jack nodded before he realized she couldn't see him through the phone. "Yeah. Me an Ethan an Tyler made one." He went on to explain everything they'd done the day before, Signe listening patiently and interjecting positive remarks here and there.

"Is there anything else you want to talk about?" Signe asked.

Jack thought for a moment. "I don't think so."

"Okay. Make sure you call to check back in, okay little one?"

"I will," Jack promised.

"I'll see you in a few days, Jackaboy. Have fun, and be safe. Bye!"

"I will. Bye mommy!" Jack hung up the phone, feeling considerably better. Simply hearing Signe's voice had brightened his mood.

Jack got out of bed, walking downstairs. He could hear talking from the kitchen, so he decided to stop in there. Mark and Ethan were sitting at the dining table. Mark was eating some toast, Ethan hunched over a bowl of cereal. "Morning," Jack said as he entered, sitting across from Ethan.

"Good morning," Ethan said, smiling at the Irishman.

"You want some cereal?" Mark had stood up, already reaching into a cabinet for a bowl.

Jack nodded. Mark set a bowl down in front of him, pouring cereal and then milk into the bowl for him. "Thanks," Jack said, looking up at Mark.

Mark smiled in return as he put the milk and cereal away. He returned to his seat, the three eating in a comfortable silence. It wasn't until they had all finished that Mark spoke. "We had plans to record some stuff today. Are you up for that?" he addressed Jack.

"Oh! Um, yeah. Sounds fun," he said truthfully. He always had a good time recording with his friends.

"Okay, good. I think we'll head to the office as soon as we all get dressed."

...

They were the first ones to the office, the three of them messing around with props while waiting for the others to arrive. Once they had, there was some adjusting of cameras and equipment before they were all set to record.

"What are we doing?" Jack asked, as Mark had never explained what they were even doing for the videos.

"Markiplier makes..." Mark looked at Amy. "What are we making again?"

"...crafts? I'm not sure if that's what you wanna call it, but we've just got a bunch of crafts stuff there."

"You guys can go nuts," Kathryn chimed in. "And impose whatever bullshit rules you want."

"Okay, thanks. Are we rolling?"

...

By the end of the recording, the table was an absolute mess. There was glue everywhere, and Ethan had somehow managed to get glitter in his hair. Ethan and Jack had been reduced to a giggling mess. They had somehow split into two teams (which wasn't part of Mark's bullshit rules): Ethan and Jack vs. Mark and Tyler. Mark and Tyler ended up presenting a glob of paper and yarn, to the judges' disappointment. Jack and Ethan hadn't done much better: their project was basically a soggy piece of material covered in glitter. The judges seemed to take pity on them, declaring them the winners.

Once the camera had been turned off, Mark dropped his on-camera persona. "That was good. Did you guys have fun?" he asked the boys, who were giggling among themselves. They both nodded. "Let's get washed up, alright?" He gently steered the two towards the bathroom, allowing Jack to wash his hands first. He looked at Ethan as they stood outside the door. "How did you get glitter in you hair?" Mark asked, perplexed. 

Ethan shrugged as Jack passed him on his way out of the bathroom. Ethan stepped inside, looking at himself in the mirror. "Ooh, it looks cool though. I wanna keep it."

Mark chuckled. "We've gotta get it out, bud. We don't want any falling into your eyes, do we?"

"I guess you're right," Ethan said sadly.

"Lean your head forward, and I'll brush it off, okay?" Ethan did as he was told, allowing Mark to brush the glitter off into the sink. "I think that's it."

Ethan pouted. "It's not as fun anymore."

"What are you talking about? You're hair is blue, that's super fun!" Mark insisted, trying to cheer the boy up.

"I gueeesss."

"Wash your hands now, blue boy. We've still got some stuff to record."

...

The day went on, as did recording. They did a sketch next, as that required the most effort and planning. After they got all the shots for that, they did some more relaxed videos. As the time went by, Mark noticed that both Ethan and Jack were growing restless. He could tell that they were both close to slipping. 

"I think we're done for today," Mark said once they'd finished the fifth video. Ethan had started chewing on his nail, and Mark knew that it was a good time to put the camera away. "Why don't you two go through the bag I brought, hm?"

The two colorful hair boys got up from their seats, following Mark's suggestion and walking into the other room. 

"You're sure we have enough footage?" Tyler asked, picking up what was left over from their recording.

Mark waved his hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah, it's enough. Those two needed a break."

"Ah." Tyler nodded, seeming to understand. 

...

"Maaaaarrrr!" Mark's conversation with Tyler was interrupted. "Marky!"

"Yes?" Mark called to the boy in the other room. 

"C'mere, siwwy!"

Mark sighed before getting up and walking into the main room. Ethan and Jack were laying on the floor, coloring books in front of them, crayons scattered around them. "What do you need?"

"Wha cowor should dis fish be?" he asked, kicking his feet gently.

"Hmmm," Mark said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Purple."

"Okay! T'anks!"

"Did you need me for anything else?"

"Nope!" Ethan replied, scribbling with a purple crayon.

"Okay then," Mark said, shaking his head and smiling fondly. "Are you doing okay, Jack?"

"I'm okay." The green haired boy smiled up at Mark. "Havin' fun," he added.

"Good," Mark said before leaving the room. He had barely sat down when he was called once more.

"Yes?" he asked the blue haired boy.

"Wha cowor for da octopus?" 

Mark sighed. "Orange," he said. "How about you ask Jack next time, bud?"

Ethan looked up at Mark. "Hm? Okay." He turned back to his coloring as Mark left the room once more.

"Everything okay?" Tyler asked as Mark sat down.

"Yup," Mark said with a smile. "Just fine."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this is an hour...record time! It usually takes me 3-4+ hours to write a chapter. I hope you like this chapter! There will be a disney trip in the near future, as we near the end of Jack's visit.


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A fun trip to Disneyland

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had fun writing this. Hope you enjoy!

“Disney day!”

Jack and Ethan looked up from the video game they were playing.

“You two up for it?” Mark asked, plopping down on the couch between the two, putting an arm around each.

Both turned to look at the man. “Sounds fun,” Jack mumbled.

“There’s gonna be lotsa people there,” Ethan said, voicing Jack’s underlying concern.

Mark looked back and forth between the two. “It’ll be okay. It’s a weekday in the middle of off-season. It won’t be as bad as it usually is,” he tried to reassure them.

“I guess,” Ethan mumbled, still looking troubled.

“Tell me what you’re thinkin, blue,” Mark said, gently rubbing his back.

“It’s jus…we haven’t been. Not since before- before you knew about Little me. Kinda nervous about goin. ‘Specially cuz I know I’m gonna feel small there, an’ people’ll look at me weird.”

Mark felt his heart ache for the boy, for the two of them, really. “No one’s gonna look at you weird, okay? All you two need to worry about is having fun, you hear? Besides, everyone gets excited at Disneyland. You don’t have anything to worry about, okay?” He didn’t get a response. “Okay?” he repeated.

“Okay,” the boys said.

“…You guys want to go, right? I’m not gonna force you to if you really don’t-”

“I wanna go!” Ethan interjected.

“Me too,” Jack agreed.

“It was jus what I said that I was worrying about,” the blue boy explained.

“Alright then, we’ll head out in an hour.”

…

The three of them met the rest of the gang once they’d gotten inside the park. Mark was right: there weren’t that many people around. A few clusters, here and there, but it was easy to make their way around casually.

Jack looked around in wonder as the group walked down the main pathway. Everything was so bright and colorful. There were so many shops each displaying something equally fantastic. It seemed like one shop in particular had caught Mark’s attention. “Do we want some hats?”

Ethan’s eyes lit up. “Can we?”

“Of course!” Mark said, herding the two into the store (followed by the other three). “You can’t do Disney without some cool ear hats.”

Ethan wandered farther into the store almost immediately, loosely trailed by the girls. Jack, on the other hand, stuck to Mark’s side. “Go on,” he ushered. “I’ll follow you. Find one you like.”

Jack hesitantly moved forward, preferring to be behind Mark, following, instead of the other way around. He walked down the rows of hats for a few minutes, looking for one that caught his eye. He picked one out, holding it out to Mark. “That’s the one?” Jack nodded, allowing Mark to take it from him, holding it with the one he’d picked up for himself. “Let’s go pay for these and see where the others went.”

The two made their way back to the front of the store, Jack standing behind Mark as he paid for the hats. Mark handed Jack his hat as they walked out of the store, pausing to put on his own. “Thanks,” Jack said as he adjusted the string on his chin.

“No problem, bud.” As they exited the store, they saw the others standing nearby. They headed to them.

“That’s a cool hat!” Ethan told Jack.

“Yer hat’s cool too,” Jack responded happily.

“Can we go do rides now?” Ethan looked at Mark hopefully.

“Sure!”

…

“Can we get on that one?” Ethan pointed to one of the smaller rides, one of the ones that simply spun in circles and moves up and down.

“Sure,” Mark responded, leading the way to the line. “Do you want to sit with Jack?”

“Uh-huh,” Ethan said, smiling at his Irish friend. Jack smiled back happily.

Mark looked behind him, to find only Amy. “Tyler and Kathryn aren’t getting on?” he asked.

“They’re gonna sit this one out. Neither are a huge fan of rides. I’ll keep you company though,” she smiled. Mark put his arm around her shoulder as they waited in line.

…

The group had a fun time getting on rides (Kathryn and Tyler sitting most of them out) for a while, when they reached the roller coaster. “Oooh, c’mon!” Ethan said, walking towards the entrance.

“Hang on there, bud.” Mark turned towards Jack, who had stopped walking. “Do you want to get on this one?”

Jack looked up at the massive structure that towered above him. He watched as the car went over a large drop, the sight of which making his stomach churn. He looked back at Mark and shrugged, not wanting to admit that he was afraid. “Too fast.” He said it so quietly that Mark almost didn’t catch it.

“That’s okay. You can stay with Tyler and Kathryn, okay?” Jack nodded, following the two to a nearby bench.

“Jack’s not coming?” he heard Ethan ask.

“It’s just us three,” came Mark’s response. Jack watched as they walked through the entrance, a bit bummed to be left out.

“Have you been having fun today, Jack?” Tyler asked

“Uh-huh,” Jack said, his tone seeming to contradict his answer.

“They won’t take too long,” Kathryn assured him. “Why don’t we get some ice cream while we wait for them? My treat.”

“Okay.” The suggestion seemed to brighten the green haired boy’s mood.

“Come on, let’s go find a stand. Save the bench?” she asked Tyler, who gave her a thumbs up as the other two stood. “You want anything?” she asked Tyler.

“I’m good.”

Jack followed Kathryn as she searched for a stand selling ice cream. Finally, they found one. “What do you want?” she asked gently.

“Mickey?” he replied shyly, standing behind her as she purchased the frozen treats.

They made their way back to the bench, eating their ice creams as they walked. By the time Jack had finished his, a stream of melted ice cream had made its way down his arm. “Good thing I got napkins,” Kathryn said, using one to wipe off the boy’s arm.

“T’anks, Kat.”

Kathryn smiled at him, taking his left over stick to throw away.

It was soon after that the others returned. Ethan was the first to reach them, bouncing on his heels. “That was super fun! Let’s go do anoner one!

…

It had been a few hours, and everyone was feeling pretty tired. Ethan was holding Mark’s hand, and Jack was holding Kathryn’s, as a result of a minor incident where Ethan had wandered off.

“Look, there’s Mickey! Do you guys want to take a picture with him?” Mark asked.

Both boys hesitated before Ethan answered. “No, don’ wanna wait in line. It’s kinda boring anyway.”

Jack, on the other hand, didn’t want to admit that he was afraid of the characters walking around. “I don’ wanna either.”

“Alright,” Mark said, a bit surprised. “I think it’s time to go home now.”

“Awww,” Ethan and Jack pouted.

“We’ve done pretty much everything!” Mark said. “And we’re all tired.”

“I know I am,” Amy said, mostly to help Mark’s argument.

“How about we get you guys some plushies before we go?” Mark suggested as he took notice of the stuffed toys in a display window.

“Yay!” Ethan exclaimed.

…

Ethan ended up with a Flounder plush, and Jack got a Pluto plush, each carrying them happily as they exited the park. They said their goodbyes to the others as they left their separate ways to go find their cars.

“Did you guys have fun today?” Mark asked, each of his hands holding one of the boys’.

“Yeah!” Jack said. “T’anks for taking us.”

“T’anks, Marky,” Ethan echoed.

“You’re very welcome,” Mark said, smiling at the nickname.

…

Jack passed out in the car soon after they left, leaving Ethan to talk animatedly to Mark from the backseat on the way to Mark’s place. It wasn’t until the car had stopped that Ethan stopped talking.

“You go on inside, kiddo,” Mark said, handing the boy his keys. “I’m gonna carry Jack in.”

“Okay,” Ethan said, taking the keys and getting out of the car.

Mark got out of the car and opened Jack’s door, reaching over the boy’s sleeping form to unbuckle his seatbelt. He carefully scooped his sleeping form into his arms, making sure not to drop the plushie that sat in the boy’s lap. He carefully nudged the car door closed, then made his way into the house.

Ethan closed the door behind them as Mark made his way to the staircase, deciding to brave the stairs. He carefully, oh so carefully, took them one step at a time, making extra sure that each foot was securely planted before moving the other. After a few tedious minutes, he had reached the top, and carried the sleeping Irish boy to his bed, covering him before heading back downstairs.

“Hey lil blue,” he said to the boy sitting on the couch. “Are you tired?” Ethan nodded, clutching his new toy in his arms. “Come on, then, let’s get you to bed.”

For a moment it looking like Ethan was going to argue, but instead he simply complied, walking over to Mark and allowing him to put his arm around him as they walked up the stairs to Mark’s room.

Ethan plopped down onto the bed, Mark covering him with the comforter. Mark turned to back out of the door when Ethan spoke. “Wait.”

“What is it?” Mark asked.

“Don’ wan’ you to seep on tuh couch,” Ethan mumbled, eyelids heavy.

“Don’t worry about me,” Mark insisted, going to back out of the doorway.

“No, stay. I wan’ you to stay.”

“You sure?” Mark was pretty relieved; his back ached from sleeping on the couch.

“Extwa soor,” Ethan mumbled, scooching to one side of the bed.

Mark smiled fondly as he turned the light off and settled into the bed beside the boy, who was tightly hugging his plushie.

“Goodnight, E.”

“Nigh’ nigh’ Marky.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jack's visit is nearly over...


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Jack's last day...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is now complete!! I'm incredibly sorry I left it incomplete for so long, I promise that will never happen again in the future.

Mark woke up to a blue boy snuggled into his chest. He was curled up, with one hand clutching his plush and the other by his face with a thumb in his mouth as he slept. As cheesy as it sounds, Mark felt as though his heart grew three sizes as he looked down at the sleeping boy. He looked so peaceful, so sweet.

  
Mark was about to get up when he realized that one of his arms was trapped beneath the sleeping figure. He sighed, deciding to stay in bed a while longer, not wanting to wake the boy up. He closed his eyes, thinking, since there really wasn't much else to do.

  
He took this moment to think about his relationship with Ethan. No, he didn't think of him in any sort of romantic way, but... he loved him. Not that he didn't before he knew any of this, but since then, he's felt a stronger connection with him. He didn't quite understand his feelings. He thought back to the phone call with Signe, how she had referred to him as Ethan's daddy. The thought sent shivers down his spine. It wasn't necessarily bad, but... it was different. Unfamiliar. Would he be okay with Ethan calling him that? He figured he was already his caregiver, if the past few months were anything to go by, but did Ethan feel the same way? Were either of them ready for that kind of label?

  
Before he could spiral any further into his thoughts, he felt Ethan stir beside him. Mark opened his eyes, and was met with a pair of hazel ones staring back at him. "Mornin, E."  
Ethan blinked slowly, not bothering to take his thumb out of his mouth.

  
"Sleep okay?" Mark slowly pulled his arm out from under the boy, sitting up slightly.

  
Ethan didn't respond, keeping his sleepy gaze on the man.

  
"Not a talking day?"

  
Ethan shook his head slowly as he sat upright.

  
"That's okay, bud. Let's go downstairs and see if we can find you your paci." Mark got out of the bed and walked to the door, looking back to see if the boy had followed.

He had not. Instead, he sat in the bed, making grabby hands at him.

  
Mark sighed. "I can't carry you down the stairs, Eth."

  
The boy ignored him, continuing the grabbing motion.

  
Mark looked up at the ceiling. Why couldn't he just say no? "Fine. But we've gotta be extra careful, okay?"

  
Ethan nodded, smiling, happy to have gotten what he wanted.

  
Mark walked over to his side of the bed, bending down slightly so that the boy could grab on. Once he had wrapped his arms around his neck, Mark held onto the boy and exited the room. He stopped as they approached Jack's door. "Let's see if Jack's awake," he whispered to Ethan. He carefully pushed the door open wide enough to peek inside. Jack was awake, sitting up, and looking at his phone. "Good morning, Jack," Mark said, making the Irishman jump and drop his phone.

  
"O-oh, hi," he said, waving at Mark.

  
"Come downstairs whenever you're ready," Mark said, adjusting his grip on the boy attatched to his front.

  
"Will do," Jack responded as Mark backed out of the room. He made his way to the stairs without incident.

  
"Down we go," he said to Ethan, who didn't give a response.

  
Luckily, Mark didn't trip on the way down, and they'd made it to the couch safely. "You gonna let me put you down?" He felt the boy shake his head. "Both sitting?" He felt a nod. "Both sitting it is."

  
After the pair had sat down, Mark reached for the blue paci that was sitting on the table beside the couch, giving it to Ethan to replace his thumb. "Cartoons?" Ethan nodded.

  
...

  
Jack took his time before making his way downstairs, browsing social media. It was his last day here. As sad as he was to leave, he was eager to get back to Signe.

  
He set his phone on the bedside table before making his way downstairs. "Hey," he said to his friends as he reached the bottom of the staircase.

  
"Hey," Mark responded. Ethan, on the other hand, had his eyes glued to the tv, pacifier in his mouth.

  
"He's pretty deep right now," Mark explained as Jack sat beside them on the couch. "If you don't mind me asking... how old are you right now?"

  
"Oh, I'm not feeling Little," Jack replied. He was surprised how easy it was to talk about. A week ago, he hadn't told anyone but Signe. But now, he was comfortable talking about his Little side with Mark. What a wild week it had been.

 "Are you hungry? I could make you something, if you want," Mark offered.

  
"Oh, no, I'm fine," Jack said.

  
"Are you hungry?" Mark asked the boy curled up in his lap.

  
Ethan nodded, wide eyes staring into Mark's. "Pancakes?" He asked hopefully, his speech muffled by the pacifier in his mouth.

  
"Sure thing," Mark said, shuffling the boy's hair. "Can you stay here with Jack?"

  
The boy nodded dutifully, scooching out of Mark's lap. Mark stood up, heading off to the kitchen. Ethan scooted over on the couch, snuggling up to Jack's side.

  
Jack smiled down at him. "Hi there." He wrapped an arm around his friend, allowing him to cuddle in closer.

  
"Hi," the blue boy said, paci still between his lips.

  
"Hey guys, I might have to run to the store," Mark suddenly called, walking out of the kitchen. "I'll be as quick as I can."

  
Jack was about to respond, but Ethan was quicker. "Nooooo," he whined, reaching an arm out towards Mark. "Don' go!"

  
"I have to go, bud, we don't have any milk. Or eggs. Which means I can't make pancakes. Or eggs. Or cereal. I'll be back real soon."

  
"Nonono." Ethan shook his head roughly from side to side, really starting to get upset.

  
Mark grimaced, weighing his options. He didn't want to upset Ethan. He'd never thrown a tantrum before, and Mark didn't know how he would deal with that, let alone leave Jack to deal with it. He wouldn't ask Jack to go, since he knew he didn't drive often and didn't know where anything was here. The only other option was to take Ethan with him, and dragging a cranky Little to the store wasn't an ideal scenario. He sighed. "How about you come with me? Does that sound okay?"

  
Ethan was silent for a moment, thinking. Finally, he nodded.

  
Mark turned to Jack. "Do you want to stay here, or come with?" He looked into the Irishman's eyes, trying to convey the message of /in case I need help/.

  
Luckily, Jack caught on. "Uh, I'll tag along."

  
Mark sent him a look of relief. "Let's go then."

The other two stood up from the couch, shuffling towards the door, stopping to put their shoes on. "Hey, Eth?" Mark said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Let's leave your paci here, okay?" He held out his hand. Ethan hesitantly grabbed the pacifier from his mouth, setting it in Mark's palm. Mark walked over to set it on the counter. "It'll be here when we get back."

  
By now they all had their shoes on and were ready to go.

  
...

  
As the trio walked into the store, Ethan shivered. "Is cold."

  
"Do you want my sweater?" Mark was met with a nod. He shrugged off his sweater, holding it out for Ethan to put it on. "Better?"

The boy nodded, pulling the hood up over his head, fumbling a bit, as the sleeves were a bit too long.

  
"You good?"

  
"I'm fine," Jack responded, shoving his hands into his pants pockets as they began walking to the produce area of the store. Mark grabbed a gallon of milk, then struggled to grab a carton of eggs with one hand.

  
"Well don't drop 'em," Jack scolded, hurrying to grab the eggs from him.

  
"Thanks," Mark said. "We need anything else?"

  
"Candy?" Ethan mumbled.

  
Mark chuckled. "Fine. You each pick out one."

They turned into the candy aisle, the two colorful haired boys in awe at the wall of sweets. "Try not to get anything chocolate," Mark whispered to Jack. "Don't want to risk the whole 'may contain traces of peanuts' thing, y'know?"

  
"Of course," Jack responded, stepping closer to the shelf.

  
Mark turned his attention to Ethan, who had picked out a box of Skittles. "You gonna share some of those with me?" He bumped the boy's shoulder lightly.

  
Ethan giggled. "Maybe."

  
Jack walked over to them.

  
"What'd you get?" Ethan asked.

  
"Gummy bears." Jack held up the package.

  
"Cool."

  
"Alright, that's it. Let's go," Mark said, lightly ushering the others forward.

  
...

  
After some quick (and somewhat messy) pancakes, the three settled down on the couch. "I'm gonna go pack," Jack announced.

  
"You don't have to do it now. You can wait 'till later if you want," Mark said.

  
"I just wanna get it out of the way," Jack replied, already climbing the staircase.

  
Once he had made it into his room, he quietly closed the door and plopped down onto the bed. He pulled out his suitcase and started to pack up his things from the drawers, leaving out only clothes for the next day. He sighed, looking longingly at the green pacifier that sat atop the bedside dresser. He just didn't feel small. He wanted to be able to slip into that headspace, as it was his last day to spend with Ethan, but his brain simply didn't want to cooperate.

  
Jack picked up his phone from the dresser, staring at his contacts page for a few moments, considering whether or not he should. He bit his bottom lip and pressed the call button.

  
"Hello?"

  
"Hey Woosh."

  
"Hey there, bug. Is everything alright?"

  
"Uh, yeah. What're ya doin?"

  
"Nothing really. Got back home a few hours ago. What about you?"

  
"Oh, nothin. C-can I ask you a favor?"

  
"Sure, anything."

  
"Can you... talk to me?"

  
"I thought I was."

  
"No, like...can you talk to me like I'm small? Y'know..."

  
"Oh!" She seemed to understand now. "You're having trouble?"

  
Jack blushed slightly. "I just... my brain doesn't wanna relax, and I wanna be small, just one last time while I'm here."

  
"I understand. Just give me a sec." Signe cleared her throat. "Hey there, bugaboo." He tone had changed. Her voice was gentle, and slightly more high pitched than it normally was. Jack was instantly put at ease. "I heard someone went to Disneyland yesterday. Can you tell me about that, bug?"

  
"Um, okay. We- we went, and I had lotsa fun."  
"Did you get on some fun rides?"

  
"Yeah!" Jack seemed to light up. "Me an' Et'an got on a buncha stuff! An' there was one I didn't wanna get on so I stayed with Tyler and Kat and they got me ice cream, an Mark got me a hat, an a Pluto."

  
"Wow! It sounds like you had a lot of fun!"

  
Jack nodded his head, not realizing she couldn't see him. "Uh-huh. Erybody's so nice."

  
"Are you and Ethan getting along?"

  
"Yes! I really like playin wit him! An' Mark."

  
"That's good. Hey Jack?"

  
"Hm?"

  
"How old are you right now?"

  
Jack held his fingers out in front of him, flexing them. "Uhh, I dunno," he mumbled.

  
"That's okay," Signe reassured him. "How about you go play with Ethan and Mark now?"

  
"Okay! Bye mommy!"

  
"Bye, my little bug!"

  
...

  
Mark looked up as Jack walked towards the couch. He was wearing a onesie, the dinosaur patterned one he'd worn the other day, and was carrying his green bear in his arms. "Hey there, green bean."

  
The green haired boy smiled at Mark. "Hi." He sat down next to him and Ethan (who was in his lap), putting his feet up on the couch in front of him. He looked over at the tv screen, where cartoons were playing. "Hey Mark?"

  
Mark looked over the blue boy's head. "Yes?"

  
"Can we do sometin?"

  
"Sure! What do you want to do?"

  
"I dunno." Jack looked at Ethan, who was still staring at the screen. "Hey." He poked the boy's shoulder to get his attention. Ethan turned his head to look at his friend. "You wanna do sometin?"

  
Ethan nodded, sucking thoughtfully on the paci in his mouth.

  
"What do you wanna do?" Jack asked, looking for a suggestion.

  
Ethan slowly pulled the paci from between his lips, looking around. Suddenly, he perked up. "Ooh, I know I know! Les make a fort! Marky can help!" He popped up, suddenly full of energy, and started tugging on Mark's arm. "Come on, come on!"

  
"Hang on, kiddo, I'm getting up as fast as I can!" Mark said, getting to his feet. "I'll go get some blankets from upstairs, you two get the chairs from the kitchen," he instructed, trudging up the stairs.

  
When he returned, the boys had the kitchen chairs set up in a circle in front of the couch.

"You two work fast," he said, setting down the stack of blankets he had been carrying, going to work on unfolding the first one. "You take this side," he told Ethan, handing him a corner. "And you take this side." He handed another corner to Jack. "And if we all go around the chairs," he said, carrying the other half to the chairs further away. "And set the blanket on top, we should be left with...a blanket fort."

  
They all stepped back to admire their work.

"Les go under!" Ethan said.

  
"Here,' Mark said quickly. "Lay this blanket out on the floor," he said, handing it to the boy.

  
"Kay!" Ethan responded, ducking under the blanket.

  
Jack looked over at Mark. "T'anks fer helpin'" he said politely.

  
"No problem," Mark replied brightly. "Let's get you two settled into your fort."

  
...

  
The boys spent the majority of the day in their new fort, and had insisted that Mark join them. They colored for a while before Ethan remembered the candy they'd gotten earlier. They sent Mark out to retrieve it from the kitchen, giggling to themselves as he did so.

  
"What's so funny?" Mark said as he stooped down under the blanket, handing the boys  their candy.

  
"Nuffin," Ethan grinned, fumbling with the box of Skittles.

  
"You need help with that?"

  
"I got it!" The boy insisted. He was right: he got the box open soon after responding. "Ha!"

  
Jack, on the other hand, couldn't manage to tear through his bag. Mark held out his hand, and Jack handed the bag over. Mark tore open the bag before handing it back to the boy. "Can I steal one of those bears?"

  
Jack nodded, holding out the bag to Mark, who took a single bear from the pack.

"Thanks, Jackaboy." Mark turned to look at the other boy, who was picking through the box. "What about you? Can I have some Skittles?"

  
Ethan continued picking through the box.

"Jus one," he muttered, pulling out a red candy and handing it to Mark.

  
Mark chuckled. "I'll take what I can get."

  
...

  
They played the day away, eventually ending up with a large pile of blankets and pillows underneath the fort with them. They had adjusted the blanket so that they could see the tv while they were laying down, which they were, with Mark sandwiched between the two. Time seemed to fly by, and before they knew it, the sun had set. Mark looked over to his right, and was met with Ethan's sleeping face. He turned to his right, where Jack had passed out. Mark sighed, smiling to himself as he allowed himself to fall asleep as well.

  
...

  
The three were awoken by knocking at the door. Mark groggily sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, stumbling out of the blanket fort and to the door. He peeked through the peep hole, and fumbled to get the door open.

  
"You look like you were hit by a bus," Kathryn said as she, along with Amy and Tyler, shuffled inside.

  
"Thanks. That's what everyone loves to hear first thing in the morning," Mark grumbled, dragging himself into the kitchen.

  
"What do we have here?" Amy said, leaning down and peeking into the fort. "Two sleepy boys?"

  
"Hi Amy," they both said, getting out from under the blanket.

  
"Hey guys," Tyler called from the kitchen.

  
"Hey," Kathryn echoed.

  
"Imma go get dressed," Jack mumbled, still not fully awake.

  
"Okay," Ethan said, sitting next to Amy on the couch.

  
"Sleep well?"

  
Ethan grimaced. "My back kinda hurts now. And my arms. And legs. And everywhere."

  
Amy laughed. "That's why you don't sleep on the floor, bub."

  
"It was fun though," Ethan said, brushing his hair back with his hand.

  
"Coffee?" Mark yelled from the kitchen, luring Amy in. Ethan remained sitting. He pulled his legs up to his chest, his hand absentmindedly moving towards his mouth as he thought. He couldn't believe how fast the week had gone by. It seemed like it was just yesterday that Jack had arrived. How was it already time for him to leave?

  
"Don't chew your nails, Eth." Ethan looked over his shoulder to see Tyler standing over him. "You okay there?"

  
"I'm fine," the boy mumbled, moving his hand away from his mouth.

  
"Are you sad about Jack leaving?"

  
Ethan didn't respond, avoiding Tyler's eyes as the tall man sat down beside him. "It's okay to be sad. But remember, you can still call him. It's not goodbye forever."

  
Ethan sighed. "I know. I'm jus gonna miss him. Miss havin someone to play with." He pulled at the corner of his sock.

  
"I know," Tyler said, patting his friend on the back. "You'll see him again soon, E. Just remember that when you feel sad."

  
...

  
Jack was standing next to the door, suitcase sitting next to him. He'd said his goodbyes to everyone except Mark (who'd be driving him to the airport) and Ethan.

  
Ethan trudged towards him. "Bye, Ethan," Jack said, holding his arms out for a hug.

Ethan wrapped his arms tightly around him, burying his face in Jack's shoulder.

  
"Gonna miss you," he mumbled.

  
"I'm gonna miss you too." Jack pulled away from the hug. "I'll call you. More often than before," he promised, picking up his suitcase. "Bye!"

  
"Bye."

  
...

  
"Thanks for havin' me."

  
"Thanks for coming to visit," Mark said.

  
"Thanks for... well, everything."

  
"I'm glad you had fun. I did too, we all did."

  
Jack smiled. "I hate goodbyes."

  
"Doesn't everyone?" Mark pulled the boy into a hug. "Have a safe flight. And tell Signe I say hi."

  
"I will," Jack said, grabbing his suitcase. He turned around, walking towards the terminal, stopping one last time to look back. Mark was still there, and gave a little wave to him. Jack shot him one last smile before turning back around. Goodbye, LA.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the next few chapters I will most like focus on Mark and Ethan's relationship, there might be a few meaningful conversations in store...


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark and Ethan have an important conversation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's pretty short, but this is intended to drive things along and establish Mark and Ethan's relationship.

Mark and Ethan were sitting on Mark's couch. The tv was on, though neither paid it any mind, both invested in their own thoughts.

"Move in with me."

Ethan inhaled sharply, whipping his head to look at Mark. "W-what?"

"Move in with me," Mark repeated, his voice not conveying the uncertainty he felt inside. 

"What do you mean?"

"I mean what I said. You don't have to say yes, but... I want you to. And if you want to, that's great."

"I-I don't know. Why..?"

"Ethan, you've been here for literally the past week."

"Well, that's because Jack was here and-" Ethan sputtered.

"You've been staying the night here more often, even before Jack came. You don't have to say yes, but... I like having you around. And it's not like I don't have the room." Mark's demeanor was calmer than he felt. In reality, he was freaking out. He was sure in his decision, but didn't want to freak Ethan out or scare him off. 

Ethan took a moment to ponder the invitation. "I... I don't know. Maybe? Maybe leaning towards yes, a lil bit?"

Mark let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding. "Okay! You don't have to answer right away." Mark hesitated, the anxiety building back up in his chest. "Uh, there is something else I think we kind of need to talk about."

"What?"

Mark knew he needed to choose his next words carefully. The problem was, he had no idea how to phrase his thoughts. "You... Us... Have you thought about...how...we...are..?"

Ethan blinked at the man. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Mark let out a heavy sigh. "I wouldn't either. Okay. If I say what I'm going to say will you promise you won't freak out?"

"Uhhhhh...I'm starting to freak out already, but sure..?"

Mark steadied himself and forced out the words. "Do you think of me as your caregiver?"

The blue haired boy swallowed thickly. "I- I'd never ask that of you-"

"Hang on, let me rephrase that. I have started to think of myself as your caregiver, which I am more than okay with. Do you feel the same way?" Mark hoped this would reassure the boy that he was fine with this.

"I mean, k-kinda, yeah." He was wringing his hands together, avoiding Mark's eyes. 

"Okay, okay. Okay." Mark breathed out the words. He didn't know where to go from here.

"What brought all this on?" Ethan asked, finally making eye contact. 

"Well...I talked to Signe when Jack was here, and she assumed that I was your caregiver, and it got me thinking about all that. She..." Mark glanced down nervously. "She also may have referred to me as your..." He bit his lip before mumbling the last word. "...daddy." He felt Ethan tense up beside him.

"Oh." The boy squeaked.

"I mean, it's fine if you want to call me that, or anything else for that matter, it just caught me off guard. But yeah, I-I-I'm fine if you do want to call me...that, or whatever." Mark stuttered as he rambled on.

"I don't think I'm...ready for that." It sounded more like a question. "What do I usually call you?"

"You've started calling me 'Marky' more recently." He looked at the boy. "Wait, do you not remember things that happen when you're Little?"

"It's not that I don't remember," Ethan started, picking at the bottom of his pant leg. "The memories are just kind of distant, I guess? I dunno, it's just hard to remember some of the details sometimes."

"Oh." The two sat in silence for a long stretch, neither sure of what to say after all that.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?"

Mark smiled. "Absolutely sure."

"And about the moving in?"

"More than absolutely sure."

"O-okay, then...I think I have an answer."

Mark raised an eyebrow. "And the answer is..?

"Yes."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All dialogue, ugh, I know, but at least this convo is out of the way.


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark and Ethan have a fight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feels good to get back into the rhythm of writing this!

 

It was a week later, and Ethan was pretty much completely moved in. The 'guest room' was now his room, full time. Most of his things were able to be condensed to fit into the room, a few odds and ends shoved into a closet downstairs.  
  
Ethan was organizing his closet as Mark walked into the room with a box of his clothes. "That should be it," he said, setting the box down with a huff. "Do you want any help here?"  
  
"Sure," Ethan replied, pulling a shirt out of the box to hang up. Mark followed suit, the two comfortably silent in their task.  
  
They were nearing the bottom of the box when Mark pulled out a yellow onesie. "Ah, that reminds me, the rest of your onesies are in my room. They're in the closet, if you want to go get them."  
  
"Okay, I'll go." Ethan stood up, walking out the door. He glanced back as he did so, feeling an overwhelming sense of gratefullness towards Mark. He knew the man cared about him, but he never would have dreamed that Mark would be so good about all this. Being nice was one thing, but asking him to move in? And being okay with being his caregiver? It was something he never expected, but he was so, so glad that it happened. Truth be told, he'd been craving that level of care and affection for a long time. He was glad he'd found such a good person that cared about him.  
  
He returned from his thoughts, making his way into Mark's room. He opened the closet door, eyes searching for the onesies. "Aha." They were sitting on the floor, sloppily folded. He knelt down to pick them up. As he did so, his hand grazed over cold plastic. He pulled the onesies out, curious to see what was hiding behind them. He looked down, seeing a plastic package. He saw the label, and gasped. Why...why did he..?  
  
"What's taking so long?" Mark had appeared in the doorway. Ethan looked up at him, mouth agape. "What's wrong?"  
  
Ethan suddenly felt a surge of anger course through him. He clamped a hand onto the package, yanking it up with him as he stood. "Why do you have these?"  
  
Mark's eyes widened. Oh. He'd forgotten about those. "I got those a long time ago." He gulped. He knew the boy had said he didn't need (or want) them, but he hadn't gotten rid of them. Just in case.  
  
"Why?! I said I don't need them!" He threw the package to the floor, crossing his arms. His body language was angry, but his eyes held a different emotion. Fear. Mark could see it in his eyes, even as he glared. "I don't need them!" the boy repeated, louder this time.  
  
Mark held up his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay, I believe you. Let's calm down, okay?" He took a step towards the boy, arms out for a hug.  
  
Ethan pushed his arms away. "No!" He shoved his way past Mark, stomping off to his room. Mark sighed as he heard the door slam. He knelt down to pick up the plastic bag, hiding away the package of diapers back into his closet once more.  
  
...  
  
Mark decided to wait about ten minutes before knocking on Ethan's door. "Ethan?" He got no response. "Ethan? You're going to have to come out sooner or later. And we need to talk about this." He heard shuffling coming from right behind the door. Glancing down, he could see the large shadow in the gap. He was sitting behind the door. "Fine. As long as you're stuck in there, you might as well listen to me. I understand you're upset. You have every right to be. I overstepped, and I'm sorry. I shouldn't have even bought them without talking to you first. However, in my defense, it was an impulse buy, which I did before I even asked you about them. They've been in there for a while, I actually forgot they were there." He stood at the door, hoping for a response. Just as he was about to leave, he heard shuffling from behind the door.  
  
There came the sound of the lock unlatching before the door cracked open. Mark moved his head so that he could see through the crack, his eyes meeting a pair of hazel ones. "'m not mad."  
  
Mark took this as a win. "Okay. Good!"  
  
"Jus don wanna talk 'bout it."  
  
Mark could tell by his voice that he had regressed. He felt a pang in his chest. He felt bad knowing he had caused the boy to stress regress, as he'd come to think of it. All he wanted to do was give him a hug and tell him everything was going to be okay. "Can I come in?"  
  
The boy backed away from the door, pulling it open before sitting down on the bed. As Mark stepped in, he saw tear tracks on the boy's face. Mark himself felt like he was going to cry. "C-can I sit with you?"  
  
Ethan nodded, pulling his knees to his chest as the man sat down next to him, wrapping his arms around him. The boy leaned into the embrace, sniffling. The affection seemed to reignite his tears, for whatever reason.  
  
"I know," Mark mumbled, rubbing the boy's back soothingly. "Fighting isn't fun." He kissed the top of Ethan's head. "I'm so sorry for making you feel this way," he murmured into his hair.  
  
Ethan's sniffles had escalated to small sobs, and he turned to wrap his arms tightly around Mark. "Shhh, shh, I know." Mark soothed, slowly leaning them back into a lying position on the bed. "I know."  
  
...  
  
"Do you feel better now?"  
  
The pair had dozed off, though it hadn't been for long. They awoke to find themselves in a spooning position.  
  
Ethan twisted his head to look at Mark. "Mhm." He turned his head back before speaking again. "Sorry for getting mad."  
  
Mark felt the guilt rise in his chest. "You have nothing to be sorry for. I'm the one that's in the wrong here, not you."  
  
"I still feel bad-"  
  
"Please don't feel bad, Eth. You told me you didn't want them, and I didn't respect your boundaries. I should've gotten rid of them. I'm the one who should be sorry."  
  
It was silent for a while, the only sound was their breathing. "Hey Mark?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"...don get rid of 'em."  
  
The boy sounded so vulnerable in that moment. "Oh. Okay." Mark didn't want to pry, but couldn't hide the curiosity in his voice.  
  
"Don wanna talk 'bout it." His voice was soft, so soft it was hardly there.  
  
"You don't have to."  
  
"Jus wanna stay here. For a bit."  
  
"Then we'll stay here."


	25. Not an update but...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Basically I love requests so please don't be shy!

Sorry this isn't another chapter, but I have been working on one. Anyway, I've really been wanting to write more age regression stuff aside from this, so I made a thing for one shots! I'd love some ideas for that. (Sorry I'm on mobile, I can't put a link rn, but it's on my page, it's not that hard to find)  
Speaking of, I'd also love ideas for this? I really want to keep this going for as long as I possibly can, and I would really appreciate some ideas. I have the next few chapters semi-planned out, but I'd love some ideas for future chapters, as I've come down with a case of "can't think of ideas".  
Sorry if this is all a mess, i'm kinda tired. But anyway, thank you to everyone that reads this fic! I love you all!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ps: the next chapter has plenty of Amy and Kathryn...do I smell a sleepover??


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ethan has a nightmare...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, I've decided to swap the chapters around a bit, no Amy and Kathryn yet

"Nigh' Marky!"   
  
Mark closed the door, the only light in the room coming from the moon shaped night light plugged into the wall. Ethan snuggled into the covers, a thumb slipping into his mouth as his eyelids fluttered, quickly drifting off to sleep.   
  
...  
  
Ethan was floating. He was weightless, drifting along aimlessly. The weightless feeling was calming. He stuck his arms out, reaching into the nothingness that surrounded him. Suddenly, his stomach dropped, and he was falling. He tried to scream, but nothing came out. He clamped his eyes closed, wishing it to be over. And suddenly, it was.   
  
He opened his eyes, looking around. He was in his old apartment, standing in his room, and all the lights were off. Turning around, Kathryn loomed over him, a piece of plastic in her hand. His eyes flitted upwards to her face, which was that of pure disgust. He cowered back, tripping on the corner of the bed. "I cant believe I actually liked you. Wait 'till I tell everyone how much of a freak you are."  
  
The boy felt tears drip down his cheeks, hugging his knees to his chest and hiding his face in his arms. When he looked up again, Amy and Tyler were standing right in front of him, only their faces illuminated. "Ugh, what's he wearing?" Amy sneered, her face contorted into a grimace.  
  
Ethan looked down at himself, finding that he was wearing nothing but a very thick diaper. He whimpered, trying to curl into himself, trying to make it all stop.  
  
"He's such a baby." It was Tyler that spoke, his voice hard and mocking, so unlike his normal tone. It made Ethan sob into his arms.  
  
Suddenly, they disappeared, and were replaced by a familiar face. Ethan cringed, rocking back and forth, not wanting to hear what the next person had to say.  
  
"I never should have asked you to move here in the first place. If I had known you were this pathetic, I never would've invited you out." Mark's words were cruel, a downright sinister smile plastered to his face. "Oh, are you gonna cry like the baby you are?"  
  
The boy sobbed even harder, clutching his head in his hands as he rocked back and forth, wishing he could just disappear.   
  
...  
  
Ethan shot up, his forehead drenched in sweat. Tears ran down his cheeks silently as he looked around the room. His breathing slowed as he took in his surroundings. It was just a dream. His posture relaxed as he calmed himself. He was about to lay back down when he realized his bottom half felt warm. He felt his heart sink as he peeled back the covers with a shaking hand. His lip quivered. "No," he whined, letting out a sob. "No, no." The tears came streaming down now, accompanied by loud, hiccuping sobs.   
  
Suddenly, he heard footsteps rushing down the hall, causing the boy to start sobbing even harder. The door opened quickly. "Ethan? What's wrong?"   
  
Mark flipped on the light switch, stopping in his tracks as he processed what he was seeing. The poor kid had wet the bed. "Oh, Ethan." He walked over to the boy, gently rubbing his shoulder. "Shh, shh, you're okay. I'm here, you're okay." He sat on the edge of the bed, careful to avoid the wet patch. He wrapped the boy in his arms, gently shushing him until his sobs weren't as violent. "It's okay, bud." He rubbed a few circles into his back. "Can you stand up for me?"   
  
Ethan's lip trembled, sniffles wracking his body as he complied, cringing as he scooted over the wet patch. "Do you think we can make it to the bathroom?" Ethan nodded sadly, allowing Mark to guide him out of the room. He dragged his feet as he walked, head sagging. He gasped as his bare feet met cold tiles, not prepared for the chill.  
  
...  
  
Mark, though seemingly calm, was a bundle of anxiety. He'd never considered this scenario. Yes, after the comment Ethan had made that one day, it had crossed his mind, but he had never considered the possibility that this would actually happen. He didn't know what to do! He and Ethan had never discussed it, had never set any kind of boundaries! How was he supposed to know what the boy was okay with when he was in such a fragile state?  
  
He shook his head, trying to hold himself together. He couldn't let the boy see his uncertainty, as he was in such a fragile state. "Hey, bud," he said, trying to hide the tremble in his voice as he spoke. "We're gonna get you in the shower, okay?"   
  
Ethan's breathing picked up once more, a whimper escaping from his throat.   
  
Mark felt his heart ache. "Shh, it's okay. You're okay. I promise. We just have to get you all cleaned up, okay? That's it. So you don't feel icky anymore. Okay?" He prayed he was doing the right thing. He was doing his best, after all. He bit his tongue before speaking, not wanting to have to say what he was about to say. "We're gonna have to get your clothes off, bud." He could see the panic in the boy's eyes as his sniffles picked up. "I'm sorry, bud, but we can't just leave you in your wet clothes, we need to wash you off."   
  
Ethan nodded slowly. "Kay." His voice was small, and very high pitched. He was scared, and very, very small. The helplessness in his tone nearly made Mark start crying himself.  
  
Mark took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. He reached over and turned the shower on, which caused Ethan to flinch. "Do you need me to help you?" Mark asked, his heart threatening to leap out his throat. He felt bad making the kid do this, but knew it needed to be done.  
  
Ethan nodded once more, eyes glued to the floor, tears still falling freely.   
  
"Arms up." The boy followed Mark's direction, allowing the man to pull his shirt up over his head. He tossed it to the corner of the room. "Ah," Mark hesitated. "We're gonna have to take your pants and boxers off, okay?" Ethan hiccuped, nodding solemnly.   
  
Mark gave him a pitiful grimace before carefully pulling the soaked pants and undergarments down the boy's legs, noticing Ethan shiver as he did so. He allowed the boy to step out of them before tossing them to the side with the shirt. Ethan's sobbing had picked up once more, his frame visibly shaking. "Oh, Eth. You're okay. It's just me, bud. I'm gonna take care of you, I promise. Can you step into the shower for me?" Mark had never seen the boy so vulnerable before. He looked helpless, trembling like a leaf.  
  
Ethan stepped into the shower, flinching as the water hit his back. He wrapped his arms around his chest, wanting to curl up into himself.   
  
Mark made quick work of washing the boy off, trying to hurry so that it could be over, so that the boy could calm down. "We're done," he said softly as he turned the shower off.   
  
Ethan shivered, wrapping his arms more tightly around his torso. "Here we go," Mark whispered, wrapping a towel around his shoulders. "I'll be right back." He took off, leaving the boy to huddle in the shower as he waited for him to return. He did, and Ethan whimpered as he saw what was in his hand.   
  
"I know, I know. I'm sorry." Mark shook his head sadly. "But I think we have to." He rubbed the boy's back. "I think you're going to have to lay down so we can get it on. C'mon." Mark gently led the shaking boy to his room. "Can you lay down on the bed for me?" Ethan didn't respond, biting his lip as he looked up at the man with fear in his eyes. Mark sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry we have to do this. I know you don't want to, but we're gonna have to, bud. Can you lay down for me? Please?"   
  
The boy didn't respond, but he did as he was asked, and laid down on the bed, tears falling from his eyes as he stared up at the ceiling.  
  
Mark could barely keep himself together as he unfolded the diaper, slipping it underneath the boy's hips. His hands shook slightly as he did up the tapes. "O-okay, Eth. We're all done. You can sit up now."  
  
The boy was shaking, still sniffling as he sat upright. Mark grabbed the sleep pants sitting beside them and gently slipped them onto the boy's legs. "Can you stand up?" He pulled the pants up, past the bulge of the diaper until the waistband sat at the boy's hips. "Arms up." He slid the shirt down the boy's arms carefully. "I'm gonna go clean up in your room, okay bud?"  
  
Ethan nodded silently, staring off into the distance.   
  
...  
  
Mark returned a little while later. Ethan was sitting on the bed, back leaning against the wall. His eyes were closed, his head nodding against his chest. "Ethan?" The boy lifted his head suddenly, started back awake. "I brought Brownie for you. I thought he looked a little lonely." Mark handed the boy his favorite plush, which he eagerly accepted, hiding his face in the dog's fur.   
  
Mark bent down and placed a gentle kiss to the boy's forehead before turning to leave. He was nearly to the doorway when Ethan cried out. "Daddy!"  
  
Mark inhaled sharply, stifling a gasp as to not alarm the boy. He slowly spun around, his eyes wide.   
  
Ethan made grabby hands at him, his eyes wide and innocent. "You want me to stay?"  
  
The boy's only response was to continue the motion. Mark couldn't help but smile. He flicked the light switch off before making his way back over to the bed. As soon as he was under the covers, Ethan latched onto him, clutching to his shirt as though his life depended on it. He gently stroked the boy's blue hair, lightly humming a lullaby. Soon enough, the boy's eyes fluttered closed. "Goodnight, Ethan."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first time writing anything like this, sorry if it felt awkward/vague, I tried my best


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ethan and Mark have a little chat about last night...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the support from the last chapter! I honestly wasn't sure about posting it, but I don't regret it. 
> 
> ...Also, in this chap keep in mind that they are laying facing each other the whole time (as it was kind of hard to describe what they are doing...when they aren't doing anything) Okay, sorry for my ramblings, and...here ya go!

Ethan opened his eyes blearily, his eye lashes stiff from tear residue. He was startled to see Mark's sleeping face inches in front of his own. He grimaced, confused, and started to shift his weight to put some space between him and the sleeping form in front of him. He froze, however, as he felt the odd sensation between his legs. He moved his leg experimentally, gasping as he heard a crinkle. No, he thought as the memories from last night came rushing back to him. He couldn't have! And Mark...  
  
The boy whimpered, the noise seeming to wake Mark, who slowly opened his eyes. He lazily smiled as his eyes met Ethan's. "G'mornin."   
  
Ethan avoided his eyes (quite a feat, considering they were inches apart). He felt the tears pooling in his eyes as thoughts rushed through his mind.  
  
"What's wrong, bud?" Mark looked at the boy worriedly.  
  
Ethan shook his head, trying to hide his face in his pillow.   
  
"Did I do something wrong?" Ethan's head popped up, looking at Mark in confusion. How could he think he was the one who had done something wrong? When Ethan was the one who-  
  
Ethan shook his head as hard as he could manage while still laying down.   
  
"What is it then?" Mark's voice was hardly above a whisper. "Are- are you embarrassed about last night?"  
  
Ethan's cheeks burned. He quickly grabbed the blanket covering him and hid his face beneath it. "Don't wanna talk about it."  
  
He heard Mark sigh beside him. "I'm sorry, but we have to talk about it," Mark said, pulling the blanket off the boy's face. "For a number of reasons."  
  
Ethan bit his lip, still not looking at Mark.   
  
"You said I didn't do anything wrong...are you sure? Are you sure I didn't do anything that you weren't comfortable with? I-I did what I thought was best, but you need to tell me if I crossed a line, and-and if I did, I am so, so sorry, Ethan." Mark himself looked on the verge of tears, the worry written plainly on his face.   
  
"No! No, you didn't do anything wrong! I'm the one that-" he cut himself off, voice shaking. "Why are you so good about this? Why aren't you mad? Or hate me or-"  
  
Mark cut him off with a scowl. "Stop! Ethan! How could you ever think-" He rubbed his face with his hand. "I could never hate you! Especially not because of something like this!" He took a deep breath. "Look at me." Ethan's eyes met his. "Ethan, I need you to understand that nothing you could ever do would make me hate you. I love and care about you very much."  
  
Ethan blushed, and tried to hide his face in the covers once more. Mark caught his hand, preventing him from doing so. "Don't try and hide, blue."   
  
The boy frowned. "I'm sorry about last night."  
  
"Don't be. Ah, no buts," he said as Ethan made to interrupt. "It's not your fault. Just...you're gonna have to answer a few questions for me." His tone was absolute, though Ethan could see the sympathy in the man's eyes. "Has this happened before?"  
  
Ethan felt the blood rush to his cheeks, hesitating before nodding timidly.  
  
"How often?"  
  
"N-not a lot. Only a few times."   
  
"And when it happens..?"  
  
Ethan swallowed thickly. "W-when it happens, I get really small," he mumbled. "And I never had anyone to- to help so I just...didn't deal with it until morning. When I was big again."  
  
Mark's eyes widened as he realized what that meant. He couldn't help but to scoot closer to the boy, putting an arm around his waist over the covers. Poor kid, he thought, but didn't say it aloud. "Well, I'm here now." He kissed Ethan's forehead.  
  
"Thanks. For bein' so great and for takin' care of me," Ethan mumbled, smiling shyly.   
  
"You don't have to say thanks, kiddo." Mark hesitated, feeling guilty about bringing them back to their original conversation. "A few more questions, okay?" He didn't speak again until Ethan had nodded. "So...so you never bought any...diapers?"  
  
Ethan cringed at the word, reminded of his current attire. "No. I-I thought about it. After the firs few times. But it didn't happen all the time, so I didn't think I needed them."   
  
"And it only happens when you're sleeping?"  
  
Ethan hesitated, looking guilty before nodding. Mark could tell he wasn't being truthful. "Ethan."  
  
The boy blushed, pulling the covers over his head. Mark was about to pull them back down when he spoke. "It was just one time, okay! I was really tired, an really little, an that's it! Okay?!"   
  
"Okay, okay! I'm not trying to be the bad guy here, but if I'm going to be your caregiver, I need to know these kinds of things!"  
  
Ethan slowly peeked out of the covers. His heart had leapt as he heard Mark's words. "I know."  
  
"Okay. So you said you didn't think you needed them. Do you think you need them now?"  
  
Ethan chewed his lip thoughtfully. "I dunno. Still doesn't happen a lot. But I don't want you to hafta clean everything if it happens."  
  
Mark nodded. "Okay, I understand that. So...we'll file that under 'we'll see'. And one last question...if it does happen again, what do you want me to do?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Exactly what I said. What do you want me to do the next time this happens?"  
  
"Um, exactly what you did this time? If you're okay with that."  
  
"Of course I'm okay with it."  
  
"Last night...and whenever it happens, I feel really small, and helpless. And I really appreciate you takin care of me last night. I couldn't really do anything."  
  
"It's no problem. Truly."  
  
...  
  
They laid there for another half hour or so, before Mark sat up. "Ready for breakfast?"  
  
"Uhh." Ethan was nervous again. "You go. I'll be down in a little bit."  
  
Mark raised an eyebrow as he stood up.  
  
"I kinda...I still have the, uh, you know." The boy couldn't get out the word.  
  
Mark's expression changed to that of realization. "Ooh. I forgot...you could always keep it on, I don't mind."  
  
Ethan scowled at the man. "Well I do!"  
  
Mark raised his hands in surrender. "That's up to you. I'll be downstairs, grumpy pants." And with that, he walked out the door.  
  
Ethan closed his eyes and sighed. The puff at his waist was unfamiliar, and he'd avoided moving as to avoid feeling it any more than he already did. Now, however, he had no choice. He had to get up. He slowly sat up, eyebrows furrowing at the odd puff between his backside and the bed. He slowly stood up, cringing at the crinkling sounds the diaper made as he moved. Once standing, he realized he was unable to close his legs all the way. He grimaced as he walked, or more like waddled, he realized, towards his bedroom.   
  
He grabbed a pair of underwear from his dresser before making his way into the bathroom. He looked into the mirror, taking in the sight before him, eyes drifting to the noticeable bulge around his waist. "Hm." It didn't look too weird. Noticeable, yes, but weird? Not really. Now that he was actually wearing a diaper, he realized it might not be so bad. Strange, unfamiliar, but not as bad as he had expected. And if it meant preventing incidents like last night, what was there to lose? Maybe he'd consider them after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wasn't exactly sure how to conclude this...so I didn't. I'll address this again in a few chapters...but the next few should be lighthearted and fun, without much relevance to plot.


	28. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sleepover at Amy and Kat's!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fiiiiinally an Amy and Kathryn chapter!

The gang were all hanging out at the office, all work being done for the day. They were all getting ready to leave when Kathryn approached Ethan.   
  
"Do you want to come over? We haven't had a sleepover in a while. We miss you!"  
  
Ethan's eyes widened with excitement. "Yeah!" He quickly turned to look at Mark. "Can I?"  
  
Mark looked up. "What?"  
  
"Can I stay at Amy and Kathryn's tonight?"  
  
"Sure," Mark said, looking at him quizzically. "But you don't have to ask."  
  
"Oh." Ethan blinked a few times before shaking his head.   
  
Amy patted him on the shoulder. "C'mon, bub, let's go."  
  
...  
  
Ethan was nearly bouncing in excitement as he sat down on the couch. He hadn't had a sleepover with Amy and Kathryn in forever! Then he realized how long it had truly been. His nerves spiked, and he looked down at his feet.  
  
"You okay there?" Kathryn had appeared behind the couch.  
  
"Uh, yeah, I'm fine."  
  
"I know something's on your mind, E."  
  
Ethan sighed. "We haven't had a sleepover since before...before you found out. And I don't know if you guys would still want to hang out if- if I slipped into headspace."  
  
"Aww." Amy had popped in from the other room. "That's nothing to worry about," she said, ruffling his hair affectionately as she took a seat beside him. "We can hang out like we always have. And if you slip, you're still just as fun to have around." She gave him a light peck on the cheek, making him blush.  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Absolutely," Kathryn affirmed. "Now what first? Order pizza?"  
  
"Sounds good," Ethan said, smiling. "As long as you get pineapple."  
  
"Always," Kathryn said, walking into the other room to call.  
  
"So," Amy said, shifting to face him. "We haven't done this in a while, so we're pulling out all the stops. We got snacks, we got nail polish, we even have face masks."  
  
"Ooh," Ethan said.  
  
"We'll end the night off with a romcom, but do you know what else we're gonna do?"  
  
Ethan grinned. "Are we breakin' out the boardgames?"  
  
"We're breakin' out the boardgames!"  
  
"Hell yeah!" He held up his hand for a high five. The trio had legendary game nights. Sometimes they played drunk, but usually they'd combine games in strange ways, making up their own strange rules. It was something only the three of them did, and that's what made it special. It didn't matter that it was impossible to find a winner most times, they always had a blast.  
  
...  
  
The pizza came and went, and the trio were well into their game of...well, it was complicated. A Twister mat lay on the floor, connect four pieces scattered on top. A pile of monopoly money lay atop a scrabble board, and each of the players held a hand of uno and regular playing cards. "Yesss! I win!" Kathryn reached out and pulled the stack of fake money towards her.  
  
"Well," Ethan said, pointing his hand of cards at her. "You forgot about one thing."  
  
"Oh? And what is that?"  
  
"I," Ethan grinned, "have the joker." He wiggled his eyebrows as he slammed the card down on the table.  
  
"Shit!"   
  
"I'll take that," he said, pulling the stack of monopoly bills towards him.   
  
"Dammit!" Kathryn said, a smile breaking through her grimace. "I can't believe I forgot about the joker!"  
  
"Well played, E." Amy gave the boy a high five.   
  
"Luck of the draw. Literally."  
  
...  
  
Once they had put all the games away (some pieces might not be in their correct boxes, but oh well), Amy brought out the face masks.  
  
"Ooh," Ethan said as Amy handed him his. He turned the package around in his hand, observing the label. "What's in it?"  
  
"I dunno," Amy shrugged lightheartedly. "Just put it on your face."  
  
"It's best not to ask questions," Kathryn added ominously.   
  
The three opened their packages, Ethan fumbling a bit as he attempted to get his open. "You need help there?" Kathryn asked genuinely.   
  
Ethan shook his head, sticking his tongue out as he attempted to get it open, finally succeeding. He stuck a finger into the goop, recoiling at the texture. He poked his finger in once more, swirling it around, mesmerized by the thick substance. He glanced up at his friends, blushing when he realized they were staring at him. He laughed nervously and scooped up some of the goop and smeared it on his face, trying to move past the awkward moment. The girls mimicked him, working on their own masks.  
  
About halfway through, Ethan once again became distracted, swirling his fingers in the stuff instead of putting it on his face. "Do you want me to do the rest for ya?" Ethan looked up, wide eyed, at Amy. He nodded slowly. "No problem, bub," she said, scooting her chair closer to him. She gently took the package away from him, grabbing a paper towel and wiping off his fingers. She then dipped her own fingers into the goop, scooping some into her fingers and smeared it on the boy's face.  
  
Ethan giggled. "Does it tickle?" Amy smiled.  
  
"Feels funny," he said, still giggling.   
  
"Does it look funny on mah face?" Kathryn said, leaning towards him, her face mask fully applied.  
  
"Kinda," the boys said, moving his head around a bit as Amy applied his mask. "Kinda scary too."   
  
"Aww," the girls said in unison. "I'm scary enough to chase away any monsters," Kathryn said, "but you're not scared of me, right E?"   
  
"Nope," Ethan said brightly, shaking his head.  
  
"Whoa, careful there, I almost got some in your hair." Amy was nearly finished with the boy's mask. "Alright, you're all done." She wiped her hand off on the paper towel. "Important question. Should we start the movie now, or wait till later?"  
  
"I think later," Kathryn said. "What do you think, E?"  
  
"Later."  
  
...  
  
They had peeled their masks off once they had dried, which had been rather tedious in Ethan's case, as he had kept touching his face while it was still wet. Now with clean faces and smooth skin, they moved on to nail polish.   
  
"Do you want your nails painted?" Kathryn held up a bottle of purple nail polish, shaking it.   
  
"Yeah!" Ethan looked at all the small bottles sitting on the table.  
  
"What color?"  
  
He looked at all the bottles once more, picking up a few. "I wan'- I wan' all the cowors."  
  
"We can do that." Kathryn lined up the bottles neatly. "Pick out the colors you want. I can do one on each nail."  
  
"Hmm." The blue haired boy rested his chin on his hands, looking down at the nail polish. With a hefty chunk of concentration, he picked out ten colors from the bunch and set them up in a row, in the order he wanted them on his nails. "Kay!"  
  
"Gimme your hands," Kathryn instructed, shaking the first bottle. The boy complied, sticking out his hand and setting it on the table in front of Kathryn.  
  
The brunette unscrewed the cap, lightly gliding the brush over the boy's fingernail. Ethan flinched, pulling his hand away.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"S'cold," Ethan explained, putting his hand back where it was.   
  
"You'll get used to it," Amy said. "Should I start on your other hand?"  
  
Ethan nodded, placing his other hand in front of her.   
  
...  
  
Soon enough, the girls had finished. Ethan held out his hands in front of him, admiring their work. "Just remember to be careful," Kathryn reminded him. "You don't want to smudge them."  
  
"Kay."   
  
They moved to the couch, nails freshly painted, to watch the movie. Amy reached for the remote, gabbing it in a clawlike manner as to not smudge the color coating her fingernails. She turned on the tv, found the movie, and started it.  
  
The movie was alright, a pretty bland romcom. It made the trio laugh, though about halfway through, Ethan felt himself becoming increasingly drowsy. He stifled his first yawn, subtly leaning against Kathryn.  
  
She looked down at him. "Are you tired?"  
  
"'m fine." Ten minutes later, he was fast asleep.   


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had like 3/4 of this done for weeks, finally got around to finishing it.


	29. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poor Ethan gets the flu

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains vomiting, though it's pretty brief and not graphic

"'m fine!" Ethan insisted, wiping his nose with his sleeve. "Jus allergies."  
  
Mark obviously didn't believe that. "Sure. And the cough is just a tickle, right?"  
  
"It's nothing!" The blue boy insisted once more. "I need to record." He stumbled off of the couch, shuffling his feet as he walked towards the hallway that led to their shared recording room.  
  
"I don't think that's-"  
  
"It's fine," Ethan called back, regretting it instantly. His throat burned, and yelling only made it worse. He closed the door behind him, setting everything up to record.  
  
He was only ten minutes into recording when drowsiness hit him like a train. He felt like he was going to pass out any moment. He hastily reached out to turn off the camera, his eyelids struggling to stay open. He felt very sleepy, his brain growing fuzzier. He tried to call out for Mark. "Mark!" It was agony, his throat ablaze. "Marky!"   
  
Mark gently opened the door, taking in the sight of the pitiful boy in front of him. "Poor bud. Told you it wasn't a good idea."   
  
The boy had slumped down in his chair, looking miserable. He whined, reaching out for Mark. "Don' feel good."  
  
Mark gently scooped the boy up into his arms. "I know, I know. Let's get you to bed."  
  
The boy made to protest, but dropped it before he could get any words out. He felt drained, and a nice nap didn't seem all that bad.  
  
Mark set Ethan down on his bed, the boy hastily slipping under the covers. "Are you cold?" The boy nodded, his eyes already closed. Mark looked down at the boy, concern etched into his face. He rested a hand on the boy's forehead. "Oh, Eth, you have a fever."  
  
The boy simply grumbled.  
  
"You need medicine." This grumble sounded distinctly like a "no."  
  
"You're not gonna get better if you don't get medicine," the man chided, going downstairs to get it. He returned with a small plastic cup of medicine and a sippy cup of apple juice.  
  
The boy whined, hiding his face in the covers. "C'mon, it'll make you feel better. I promise. And I even got you some juice to wash out the taste."  
  
The boy looked at Mark sadly as he sat up. He didn't grab for the cup, so Mark took it upon himself to place it to his lips, gently tilting it until the liquid had been drained. The boy gulped, making a sour face and reaching for his sippy cup, gulping down the juice inside. Once he had finished, Mark took them from him. "I'll be downstairs if you need anything, okay? Sleep tight, blue." He turned off the light on his way out, making his way downstairs.  
  
...  
  
Ethan groaned in frustration. He was exhausted, but he couldn't sleep for more than a few minutes at a time. His throat was itchy, and his nose was all stuffed up. And on top of that, his tummy was starting to hurt. He whimpered, tossing and turning, trying to find a position where he could actually breathe.   
  
All the tossing only made his tummy hurt worse. The boy curled his knees up, clutching at his aching belly. He clamped his eyes closed, trying to fall asleep.  
  
...  
  
The boy woke up with a bad feeling. He sat up, and immediately the contents of his stomach emptied onto his blanket. He retched again, dry heaving as tears poured down his face. After a few minutes, it stopped, though he was still breathing hard. His tears escalated into sobs. He ignored the foul taste in his mouth as he tried to call out. "Marky?" It barely came out over a whisper. "D-daddy!" he cried out, more successful this time.   
  
He heard footsteps rushing up the stairs, and suddenly the door flung open, bathing the room in light. "Oh," Mark said sympathetically. "You're okay, bud, you're okay. Do you feel any better now?"  
  
The boy, still sobbing, shook his head. His tummy still hurt, and he felt all icky.   
  
"Let's get you up." Mark carefully lifted the blanket off of the boy, being sure not to get any of the mess on either of them. "Oh, Eth, you poor thing."  
  
Ethan was confused for a moment, and then he looked down. It seemed that his stomach wasn't the only thing that had emptied. The realization only made him sob harder.   
  
"Let's get you washed up," Mark whispered, leading the boy into the bathroom.  
  
...  
  
Ethan puked again in the shower, hardly able to stand.   
  
"Hey bud," Mark whispered. "I think we should probably get a diaper. Okay?"  
  
The boy nodded, avoiding making eye contact as Mark carried him to the bed. "It'll just take a second, okay?"  
  
Ethan nodded, biting his lip as he heard the crinkling.   
  
"Alright, we're all...Ethan?" The boy had fallen asleep. Mark felt bad for the poor kid.   
  
He slowly slid the boy's sleeping form across the bed until his head rested on the pillows, gently draping an extra blanket on top of him. He then went off to clean up the other bed.  
  
...  
  
Ethan woke up alone, still pretty out of it. He slowly pulled his thumb out of his mouth. "Daddy?" he mumbled.  
  
"I'm right here." The boy looked up to see Mark sitting in a chair beside the bed. The only light in the room was coming from Mark's phone.   
  
"Dark." His voice was extremely raspy.  
  
Mark reached over to turn on the bedside lamp. "That better?" The boy nodded slightly before falling back asleep.  
  
...  
  
When Ethan next awoke, he realized three things. One, his nose was running. Two, he was alone. And three, his bottom half felt unusually warm.   
  
He whimpered, his lip trembling. His mind was hazy, but he knew one thing. He needed his daddy.   
  
He tried calling out, though his voice was nearly gone. He started sniffling, eyes watering. "Daddy!" he choked out, his call turning into a coughing fit.   
  
He heard thumping from the stairs. "Yes?" The man was out of breath.  
  
The boy tried to explain what he needed, but his words didn't want to work. He bit his lip as tears started to drip down his face. "Icky," he mumbled.   
  
The man didn't seem to understand for a second, before realization spread across his face. "Ooh. Okay, I got it."  
  
They got through it quickly, both a bit less uncomfortable than before.   
  
Ethan was tucked back under the covers when he spoke. "Daddy?"  
  
"Hmm?" Mark was about to leave the room.  
  
"Bwownie?"   
  
Mark smiled. "Sure thing." He returned with the stuffed dog, handing it over to the drowsy boy. "I think he missed you." Ethan snuggled his face into the soft fur of the plush, a small smile appearing on his face.   
  
"I got your paci too, if you want it." Mark held out the blue piece of plastic. The boy nodded, allowing Mark to slip it into his mouth, gently sucking on it.   
  
Mark brushed the boy's brightly colored hair out of his face before leaning down and planting a kiss on his forehead. "Good night, blue."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter of Eth being miserable :( Hopefully some happy chapters can make up for it


	30. Chapter 30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Basically Chica thinks Ethan is her pup

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so I relaized I've hardly mentioned Chica, and that won't do, so why not have a chapter about her?
> 
> I've been having trouble writing properly, so this is basically some drabbles and little blurbs of writing

Ethan loved Chica. She was one of the cutest, sweetest dogs there ever was. So sweet, in fact, that he couldn't recall her ever even growling.   
  
Yes, she was Mark's dog, but no one could deny that Ethan was her favorite. When they took her to the office, she always sat at Ethan's feet. Whenever the boy was Little, she followed him from room to room, not liking to have him out of her sight. It was like she had adopted him.  
  
...  
  
Ethan was laying on the living room floor, coloring, when Chica walked over to him. She stopped next to him, plopping down on the floor beside him, resting her head on her paws.  
  
"Hi puppy!" the boy said excitedly. He dropped his color and sat up, eagerly petting the dog. Chica closed her eyes, allowing the boy to run his fingers through her soft fur. Ethan giggled, coloring book long forgotten. "Good girl."  
  
...  
  
Mark smiled as he watched Ethan and Chica chase each other across the yard. The two were adorable. Ethan giggled as he ran around, not a care in the world. Chica jumped as she neared the boy, but was always avoided jumping on him.   
  
The pair were so adorable, in fact, that Mark pulled out his phone to capture the moment. He pressed record, camera following them as they played.   
  
...  
  
Everyone was at the office, and they were preparing to shoot a video. The girls were setting up cameras, Mark was setting up supplies, and Ethan and Tyler were horsing around.  
  
"I told you I was right," Tyler said, a smug grin on his face.  
  
Ethan rolled his eyes. "Psh, shut up," he said, softly shoving the tall man.  
  
Tyler gave the blue haired boy a playful shove in return, when suddenly...  
  
"Boof!" Chica had appeared at Ethan's side, seemingly out of nowhere.  
  
The room went silent, everyone staring at the golden retriever in shock. Chica rarely barked, and had never barked at any of them before.   
  
Chica, however, seemed oblivious to their stares as she sat down next to Ethan, back to her usual self, tall wagging back and forth across the floor.  
  
"Uhh..." Tyler didn't know what to say.   
  
Mark was rubbing his chin, obviously speechless. It was Amy that finally broke the silence. "It's like you're her pup," she said with a grin.   
  
"Honestly, that's adorable," Kathryn chimed in.   
  
Ethan looked down at the dog in wonder. He hadn't realized that she was so protective of him.  
  
...  
  
Ethan sat up abruptly, startled into consciousness. His forehead was damp with sweat, and he was panting. He had had a nightmare. His eyes darted around the room, feeling especially vulnerable, when he saw the door open. Expecting to see Mark, his breath hitched when there was no one in the doorway. Especially freaked out, the boy pulled his covers up to his eyes, breathing hard.  
  
The boy yelped as something jumped up onto the bed, scared out of his mind. He relaxed, however, when he realized that it was Chica, and not some scary monster.   
  
The dog curled up beside the boy, nuzzling her face into his arm. Ethan smiled, relieved to have the company. He gently stroked her fur as he drifted back to sleep.  
  
...  
  
"No."  
  
"C'mon, blue, it's past one, it's really time to go to bed," Mark insisted.  
  
The boy shook his head, continuing to build his legos. "Don' wanna," he said stubbornly. He didn't look at Mark, only looking up from his toys as Chica laid down beside him. Being a common occurance, he didn't acknowledge it.  
  
"Please, bud. I'm tired. You must be too. You need to pick those up." Mark rubbed his eyes, trying not to get frustrated.  
  
"No," Ethan repeated, crossing his arms and finally looking up at Mark, defiance in his eyes.  
  
The man took a step forwards. " _Yes_ , Ethan-" He stopped abryptly as Chica's head lifted off the ground, a low rumble resonating from her. He gasped, leaning back in shock. Had Chica really just growled at him?   
  
"Chica!" he said in disbelief. The retriever had dropped her menacing (well, slightly menacing) demeanor as Mark stepped back, and now was calmly licking the boy's fingers. "Wha..?"   
  
Mark couldn't deny that he was the slightest bit hurt. Chica had never growled at him, not once. It sure didn't feel great.  
  
...  
  
More often than not, Mark would wake up to find that Chica wasn't in her bed. At first he'd been perplexed; where had she gone off to? But now, he knew exactly where she had gone. Almost every night, she'd leave her bed to go sleep in Ethan's room. Most of the time, he'd find her asleep beside the bed, though occasionally she'd be curled up by the boy's feet.  
  
Though it was adorable, Mark couldn't help but feel the slightest bit jealous. Some part inside of him wished that Chica would sleep in his bed sometimes, or even stay in his room. But, it seemed that she had taken quite the liking to Ethan, and Mark was glad, in a bittersweet sort of way. He was glad the two had taken to each other so well, and couldn't deny that the pair were absolutely adorable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Might re-write these in the future (though I probably won't...) 
> 
> But I hope you enjoyed these little scenes of Chica adorableness


	31. Chapter 31

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark has a brief talk with Ethan.  
> A Skype call is also made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoo boy has it been a while. Things have been a bit hectic, but I promise you I haven't forgotten about this! Getting struck by writer's block certainly didn't help, but I'm happy to have finally written this!

"Hey Eth?"  
  
Ethan looked up from his phone.  
  
"I think we... need to have a talk."  
  
The boy's heart skipped a beat. He hoped it wasn't about the night before, but how could it be about anything else? He'd had an accident, the first one since that time he'd been sick (which wasn't that long ago). He really didn't want to talk about it.  
  
"Don't freak out," Mark said, holding out a hand. "But it's about last night."  
  
The boy's eyes widened as he shrunk into his seat.  
  
"I said don't freak out!" Mark took a seat beside him in the couch. "I just want to talk. That's it. Just a calm conversation. Nothing to worry about." Nothing about Ethan's demeanor changed. Mark sighed. "So about the whole... diaper thing."  
  
Ethan cringed at the word.  
  
"I was wondering if you wanted to...wear one, like, regularly." Mark looked over to the boy sitting beside him, his tone free of judgement.  
  
Ethan felt his cheeks heat up, and thought for a moment. He couldn't deny that it wasn't a bad idea. The smaller he felt, the more prone to accidents he was. And he'd been feeling pretty small more often. "I-well..."  
  
Mark could see the debate going on in the boy's head, though he decided not to say anything until Ethan did.  
  
Ethan but his lip. "I...I think it's a good idea. But," he added, "only at night."  
  
Mark nodded. "That's understandable."  
  
"So...that's it, right? The conversation is over?" Ethan looked like he was dying to leave.  
  
"Almost. I..." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm gonna have to order some more. So...did those ones fit okay?" Mark was fiercely trying to fight off the awkwardness of the conversation, and was only partially succeeding.  
  
Ethan quickly nodded, avoiding the man's gaze.  
  
"And the brand is good? Like, they're comfortable, and they aren't itchy, or-"  
  
"They're fine!" Ethan blurted out, his cheeks on fire.  
  
Mark shook his head. "Hey, I'm just making sure! You don't have to be so embarrassed! It's just me, I'm not gonna judge you."  
  
Ethan sighed, glancing sideways at Mark.  
  
"And I just want to make sure I get the right kind. And speaking of, they have different kinds. With different designs and stuff." He raised an eyebrow at the boy.  
  
The boy's cheeks were still glowing. "Just- just get whatever."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Yeah. M-maybe another time I'll look at 'em."  
  
"Alright." Mark took pity on the boy, who looked like he was trying to merge with the cushions. "You can go now."  
  
Ethan looked relieved, hopping up and bounding up the stairs. Mark shook his head, smiling to himself.  
  
...  
  
It was a few hours later when Ethan walked up to Mark, who was sitting on the couch, and plopped down on his lap without a word.  
  
"Hello to you too," Mark said, adjusting himself to be more comfortable. "Did you need something?"  
  
The boy wrapped his arms around Mark's neck and leaned back dramatically. "I'm booored," he moaned.  
  
Mark chuckled. "Do you want to play something?"  
  
The boy shrugged with a grimace. "I miss Jaaack," he whined.  
  
Mark sighed. "I know. I miss him too." He thought for a moment, doing a calculation in his head. "What if we see if Jack wants to call us, huh?"  
  
"Ooh! Yeah!" The boy's eyes lit up.  
  
"Alright, I'll see if they're up. It's pretty late where they are, so don't be too sad if they're asleep right now."  
  
Ethan didn't respond, though he got off of Mark's lap to let him up.   
  
...  
  
"Well, it seems like we're in luck. Let's get the computer ready." Mark grabbed his computer and carried it back over to the couch where Ethan was sitting, setting it on the coffee table in front of them. He pulled up Skype and clicked on the call button.  
  
"Hello!" The face that appeared on the screen wasn't Jack's. It was Signe's. Ethan instinctively buried his head in Mark's shoulder. He'd only met Signe a few times, and never when he was Little.  
  
"Hey," Mark said, smiling brightly. He glanced over at the boy leaning into him, giving him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "You wanna say hi to Signe?"  
  
The blue haired boy peeked his head up to look at the screen. "Hi," he squeaked out, giving a small wave.  
  
"Hi there!" Signe said, her tone bright. "I know you called to see Jack. He'll be here in a minute, okay?"  
  
"m'kay," Ethan said, chewing on the sleeve of his sweater nervously.  
  
There was a moment of awkward silence. "It's good to see you guys!" Signe said.  
  
"It's good to see you, too," Mark responded, lightly pulling the boy's sleeve away from his face.   
  
There were noises coming from the other end, and Signe turned to look at something off screen. "Oh, here he comes. C'mere, bug." A floof of green hair flashed the camera as the Irish boy appeared on frame.   
  
Ethan bounced excitedly in his seat. "Hi Jack!" He waved profusely.  
  
As Jack looked up at the screen, his eyes lit up. "Hi Efan! An Mark!"  
  
Mark gave him a wave. "How are you, green bean?"  
  
"Good! Missed you guys," Jack responded.  
  
"Alright, I'll let you boys talk, and get out of your way," Mark said, getting up off the couch.  
  
"Not for too long," came Signe's voice. "It's almost bedtime for us."  
  
...  
  
Mark made himself busy in the kitchen, preparing dinner for them. Doing so, he caught snippets of conversation. It amazed him how much the two could chatter about nothing. At points he could follow the conversation, but for most of it, there was no rhyme or reason. Just two boys enjoying each other's company.  
  
  
"I think it's time for us to go now." Mark took that as his cue to return to the couch.  
  
"Aww," Ethan whined. Meanwhile, Jack let out a huge yawn.  
  
"Say bye to Jack and Signe," Mark encouraged the blue haired boy. "And tell them goodnight."  
  
"Night Jack, an aunt Signe," he said, a pout forming on his face.  
  
Mark raised a quizzical eyebrow at "aunt" before saying his own goodbye and closing the computer. "Aunt Signe?" he questioned lightly.  
  
Ethan nodded his head. "She said I could call her that if I wanned to."  
  
"Ah." Mark nodded in understanding. That was actually pretty cute. Maybe Jack could call him "Uncle Mark"? He filed that idea away for later. "Dinner's almost ready," he said instead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's good to be back. And if you have any ideas/requests, I'm more than willing to hear! (Honestly writer's block is my greatest enemy right now )


	32. Chapter 32

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ethan gets a lil spooked when he's home alone  
> (with special guest, Tyler!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's officially been six months since I started this! I can't believe it's been that long! It's nothing special, but on the vein of anniversaries...well, loosely related, I guess. Here it is!

"I'm going out tomorrow night."  
  
Ethan looked up from his meal. "Oh? Special occasion?"  
  
"It's Amy and me's anniversary."  
  
"Oh, congrats, dude!"  
  
"Thanks," Mark said sheepishly. "We haven't really gone out in a while, so I really wanted to make it special."  
  
"You're not planning on proposing, are you?" Ethan gasped.  
  
Mark inhaled sharply, nearly choking on the piece of broccoli that was in his mouth. Chewing carefully, he responded. "No. No...no. we've talked about it; neither of us are in a point in our lives where we're ready for that."  
  
"Just wondering."  
  
"Yeah. Well, I just thought I'd mention it before tomorrow."  
  
"Okay." Ethan looked up to find Mark staring at him. He raised a questioning eyebrow.  
  
"You'll be okay alone?"  
  
"A break from you? Sounds like a dream come true!" Ethan said playfully.  
  
...  
  
"Are you sure you'll be okay here by yourself?"  
  
Ethan looked at Mark indignantly. It was the third time he'd asked that. "You seem to forget that I lived alone for the better part of a year."  
  
"I just feel nervous leaving you," came Mark's response.  
  
"I'm not Little all the time," Ethan rolled his eyes. "I can take care of myself."  
  
Mark gave him a sideways glance as he shrugged on his jacket.  
  
"I can handle being left alone for more than an hour!" Ethan insisted. "Or overnight, if, ah, you won't be coming back until the morning?" He wiggled an eyebrow suggestively, satisfied in seeing the man blush.  
  
"That's none of your business," Mark muttered, shoving his keys into his pocket.  
  
"Hey, you were the one that was worried about leaving me alone, at least let me know when you'll be back."  
  
"I- I'll see you tomorrow."  
  
Ethan grinned. "Have a good night, mister man."  
  
Mark grumbled under his breath as he left out the door.  
  
Ethan chuckled as he settled into the couch.  
  
...  
  
It was about an hour later when Ethan realized he was starting to slip. He could feel the all-too-familiar haze settling over his brain, and felt the urge to have something in his mouth. Glancing over at the stairs, he decided he didn't want to bother going upstairs to get one of his pacis, instead settling on chewing on his sweater sleeve.  
  
...  
  
Ethan jumped as he heard a loud noise come from upstairs, curling his knees up to his chest, staring wide-eyed at the staircase. As he felt his heart race, he tried to think of what it could have been. Chica. Oh, it must've just been her, she could've knocked something over...  
  
That was when he realized the dog was laying behind the couch. His breathing picked up once more, fear spiking through him. What was up there? Was there someone there? Was there a monster? He was too afraid to find out.  
  
The boy picked up his phone, hand shaking, as he scrolled through his contacts. He was about to call Mark when he stopped. Mark had really been looking forward to this date. He couldn't stand to have him come home early.  
  
He scrolled once more before tapping another name to call.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Ty ty?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"C-can you come over?"  
  
"Um, sure? Is there a particular reason why?"  
  
"'m scawed." He bit his lip, looking anxiously at the staircase.  
  
"Where's Mark?"  
  
"With Amy. Didn' wanna bother him."  
  
"Oh. Well, just hang in there until I get there, okay, Eth?"  
  
"m'kay."  
  
...  
  
Ethan sprung up from his seat when he heard a knock on the door, rushing to open it. As soon as the door was open, he wrapped his arms around Tyler in a tight embrace.  
  
"Woah there," Tyler said, started. "What happened?" He scooted them far enough inside so he could close the door.  
  
The boy let him go, looking up at Tyler. He pointed a finger upward. "Loud," he said.  
  
"There was a noise upstairs?" Tyler clarified. Ethan nodded, lightly grabbing onto Tyler's arm. Tyler patted him on the head. "You're okay, bud. I'll go see what it was, okay?" He made to move forward, but Ethan's grip tightened. "What?"  
  
Ethan didn't respond, but was chewing on his lip. "You don't want me to go?" Tyler asked. Ethan blinked up at him. "You don't want me to leave you?" This seemed to be the correct assumption. "How about you go sit on the couch? Chica's here with you, she'll protect you. And I'll be fine, okay?"  
  
Tyler's words seemed to have done the trick, as Ethan's grip grew slack and he sat down on the couch, putting his sleeve back into his mouth. He watched as Tyler walked up the staircase, growing increasingly concerned as he left his sight.  
  
"I didn't see anything." Tyler appeared on the stairs, carrying a few objects. "Something probably just fell over," he said as he sat down on the couch. "Here." He handed the boy his stuffed dog and offered him a pacifier, which he eagerly accepted. "Are you still scared, Eth?"  
  
The boy shrugged, staring innocently at Tyler as his paci bobbed between his lips.  
  
"Do you want me to stay until Mark gets back?"  
  
Ethan nodded slowly, with a pleading look in his eyes.  
  
"Okay. I'll stay." He paused for a moment, observing the boy. He seemed more vulnerable than he was used to seeing him, even for his Little self. He had his knees curled tightly into his chest, clutching onto his stuffed dog like a lifeline. "Hey, Eth?"  
  
The boy looked up at Tyler in response.  
  
"How old are you right now?" He wasn't sure if that was the right question to ask.  
  
Ethan scrunched up his eyebrows, sucking harder on his paci as he struggled to find a response.  
  
"Is it hard to tell?" Tyler hoped he hadn't upset the boy. He didn't know what would set him off.  
  
Ethan nodded, his face settling back into a relaxed expression.  
  
"Okay." Tyler didn't really know what to say. It seemed like Ethan was in his own world, content with staring at the wall. It was a few minutes before Tyler spoke again. "What do you want to do?"  
  
Ethan blinked a few times, snapping back into reality as he moved his gaze to the man's face. He didn't respond, just continued staring at his friend.  
  
"Do you want to watch tv?" Tyler was the one that needed something to entertain himself, it seemed.  
  
Ethan gave no response, though he did scoot closer to Tyler, leaning against his side. Tyler figured that it wasn't a no, and grabbed the remote, trying to find something to put on. He decided on Steven Universe, since it was the least scary of Ethan's favorite cartoons. Looking down at the boy, he seemed to be mesmerized by the bright colors, even if he wasn't invested in the story.  
  
They watched a few episodes, Ethan inching his way into Tyler's lap after a while. He'd yawned a few times before Tyler checked the time. He waited until the episode was over before turning off the tv. "I think it's time for bed."  
  
Ethan let out a small whine, though he was struggling to keep his eyes open.  
  
"Sorry, Eth." Tyler tried to think of something to convince the boy that bedtime wasn't the worst thing in the world. "Think of it this way. If you go to bed now, you'll wake up earlier tomorrow. Then you'll have more time to play tomorrow! Doesn't that sound good?" Tyler couldn't even convince himself that sounded good.  
  
Ethan simply pouted.  
  
"Let's go." Tyler made to stand up, but Ethan didn't move. "C'mon." Ethan wrapped his arms around Tyler's neck, burying his face in his shoulder. "You- you want me to carry you?"  
  
Though he had no doubt in his mind that he could, he was slightly nervous about carrying the boy. He had never carried him before. "I-i mean, I guess I could. Stand up, and I'll pick you up."  
  
Ethan shook his head, clinging onto the man.  
  
"What do you mean, no? You don't want me to carry you?"  
  
"Cawwy me. Wike daddy." His speech was muffled by the pacifier that sat between his lips, though his words were easy enough to understand.  
  
It took Tyler a moment to comprehend Ethan's words. He could only assume he meant Mark. When did that start?  
  
He took a moment to wrap his head around the new piece of information. "How does he carry you?" He decided not to bring up the other part of what he'd said.  
  
"I hold on, an he jus hols onna me." He sounded extremely tired.  
  
"Alright. I'll try." Tyler did his best to follow the instructions he'd been given, slowly standing with the boy hanging onto his neck. He quickly understood what he was meant to do once Ethan had wrapped his legs around his waist. "I got you," he mumbled as he held onto the boy's back, before walking to the stairs.  
  
They made it up in one piece, Tyler gently setting Ethan down onto his bed. "Okay. Can you put your pajamas on yourself?" He wasn't sure what his routine was, or what he was capable of this deep in headspace.  
  
The boy nodded sleepily, letting out a huge yawn.  
  
"I'll be out here. I'll come tuck you in when you're done," Tyler said, stepping out into the hallway and closing the door.  
  
It was a few minutes before he heard Ethan's voice through the door. "Ty ty?"  
  
"You done?" he asked through the door, met with a light "uh huh." He opened the door and stepped inside. His eyes were immediately drawn to the obvious bulge at the boy's hips. Deciding not to comment, he pulled the blankets up to the boy's neck, giving him a light pat on the head.  
  
"Nigh' Ty ty," Ethan mumbled as he closed his eyes.  
  
"Goodnight, Ethan." Tyler stepped back to the doorway, turning off the light before pulling the door closed.  
  
Tyler walked downstairs in a daze, plopping down on the couch. He tried to process what had just happened. He hadn't realized the extent of Ethan's regression. This was all new to him, and he didn't know how to respond.  
  
...  
  
Tyler woke up to someone patting his arm. "Mm?" He opened his eyes to see Mark leaning over him from behind the couch.  
  
"As good as it is to see you, why are you sleeping on my couch?"  
  
"Hm?" Tyler groaned, sitting up and stretching his arms. "Oh," he said, remembering the night before. "Ethan called me. Wanted me to stay 'till you got back," he mumbled.  
  
"Why?" Mark had bent down to pet Chica, who was lying behind the couch.  
  
"He heard a noise, and it scared him."  
  
"Ah," Mark said. "Sorry."  
  
"It's fine, honestly. He's sweet." Tyler paused for a moment, choosing his next words carefully. "Um, there's a few things I wanted to talk about, well, ask you about. About Ethan," he clarified.  
  
"Yeah?" Mark said as he set his keys and wallet on the coffee table before sitting down next to Tyler.  
  
"Well..." He didn't quite know how to bring it up.  
  
"Let's skip the awkwardness. Just go for it, dude."  
  
"He- he calls you daddy."  
  
The two men stared at each other for a moment before Mark gave a slow, exaggerated nod. "Yeah."  
  
"All the time?"  
  
"No. Only when he's Little," Mark explained. "And it hasn't happened often. It seems like he only does it when he's really deep in littlespace."  
  
Tyler nodded. That made sense.  
  
"Was that it or-?" Mark asked.  
  
Tyler looked up at the ceiling and took a deep breath.  
  
"Dude, spit it out. Knowing you, we'll be here all day."  
  
"He wears diapers." It was more of a statement than a question.  
  
Mark sighed. "Yeah. What about it?" Tyler sensed he was starting to get defensive.  
  
"I- um, it's new. Well, new information. To me," Tyer stuttered. "I'm just curious. Uh, is it like, a comfort thing, or more of a, um, necessity?"  
  
"Y'know, I feel weird talking about this without his permission," Mark said. "But, yeah, we had a few... accidents, before we started with them. And is it comforting? You'll have to ask him."  
  
Tyler nodded slowly. "I'm not judging, by the way," he said. "This is all just new to me, just give me a while to adjust."  
  
"I know." Mark patted his friend on the back. "You take a long time to think about things."  
  
A few seconds later they heard a door creak open upstairs, followed by a figure coming down the staircase. Ethan's eyes lit up as he saw Mark. "Daddy!" he squealed, rushing towards him.  
  
Mark chuckled. "Hey bud!" He stood up and held his arms out, stumbling as the boy crashed into him. Ethan latched onto him, wrapping his arms around him tightly.  
  
"Missed ya," he mumbled, allowing Mark to settle them both down onto the couch.  
  
"I missed you too, Ethan." Mark smiled, charmed by how sweet he was. "Did you have fun with Tyler?"  
  
The boy nodded. "Nice."  
  
"And were you a good boy?"  
  
Ethan nodded sweetly.  
  
"No trouble?" he asked Tyler.  
  
The man was startled at how quickly Mark had gone into, well, "daddy" mode. It wasn't something he was accustomed to seeing. He stumbled to respond. "Uh, no, not at all."  
  
"Good." Tyler couldn't help but stare as Mark patted Ethan's hair affectionately.  
  
He cleared his throat. "Okay, I'm gonna go now." He stood up awkwardly.  
  
"Alright. See you... this weekend? Probably?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Say bye to Tyler," Mark prompted the boy in his lap.  
  
"Bye, Ty ty." Ethan gave him a toothy smile and a small wave.  
  
Tyler couldn't help but to smile back. "Bye, Eth." He gave him a wave back before leaving.  
  
"Alright," Mark sighed, knowing he'd have a very small, and very _clingy_  Ethan on his hands for the next few hours, if not the rest of the day. "We ready for breakfast?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I reeeealy wanted to post this as soon as I finished it, but alas I have /some/ impulse control :p


	33. Chapter 33

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We all have bad days

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy, it's been a while. I've been in a funk lately, but I'm happy to (finally) be putting out a new chapter.

Ethan woke up in a bad mood. There wasn't a particular reason, he just felt off. He hadn't had one of these kind of days in a while, and when he did, boy were they bad.   
  
Mark peeked his head through the doorway. "Good morning, Ethan!" His bright demeanor only seemed to make the boy's bad mood worse. "Sleep well?"  
  
Ethan didn't answer, only biting at his fingernail.   
  
"Let's get you changed," Mark said, stepping into the room and towards the bed.  
  
"Nuh-uh," Ethan said in response, sharply shaking his head.   
  
Mark raised an eyebrow. "Why not?" They had established a routine, and Ethan had never objected before.  
  
The boy only shook his head even harder than before.  
  
"Okay, uh..." Mark wasn't sure what to do. "Can you at least tell me if you're dry?"  
  
This earned him a scowl.   
  
He sighed, raising his arms in surrender. "Fine. I'll leave you alone. Just remember that we have to get going in a little while."   
  
The boy's scowl deepened, though Mark didn't see it, as he'd already left the room. He sighed, wincing as he bit down too close to the skin of his nail.  
  
...  
  
Breakfast was a fiasco, the cranky little refusing to eat anything, a fork being thrown on the floor in the process. Mark stopped trying to push it when he saw the downright murderous look in the boy's eyes.   
  
"Are you okay?" he asked seriously.   
  
Ethan refused to look at him, frowning and looking down at the floor. He didn't know what to say, and he didn't feel like talking anyway.  
  
Mark sighed, rubbing his temple. "Okay. Okay. You don't have to talk to me if you don't want to, but we have to leave soon. Do you want me to help you get-"  
  
"Don' wan help." Ethan cut him off before he could finish, stomping up the stairs. Mark heard a door slam shut, and let out a long, breathy sigh. It had been a long day, and it wasn't even noon.  
  
...  
  
Ethan came back down the stairs not too long after, dressed and ready to go. Well, almost. He had his socks on, but there were no shoes to be seen.   
  
Mark almost didn't want to point it out. "Hey bud," he said gently. "Where are your shoes?"  
  
"No," Ethan said defiantly.   
  
"What do you mean no? We have to go!" Mark groaned internally, not wanting to outwardly show his growing frustration.   
  
"No shoe!" Ethan huffed, crossing his arms.  
  
Mark bit his tongue, trying to control his exasperation. He threw his hands up. "Ok-okay, fine! No shoes? Whatever! Fine!" He shook his head. "Let's just go."  
  
...  
  
It took quite some coaxing to get the boy in and out of the car, but finally they were at the office.   
  
"Hey, bub!" Amy greeted them.  
  
Ethan didn't acknowledge her, trudging past her to his desk, where he flopped down into his chair.  
  
Amy looked at Mark.  
  
"It's been a rough day," he sighed, giving her a small peck on the cheek. "Is everything ready to go?"  
  
"Kathryn's got everything set up in the other room."  
  
"Alright. I'll try to get all the audio done as fast as I can." He glanced over at Ethan, who was slouched in his chair, slowly spinning the chair from side to side. "Can you keep an eye on him? We had a bad start today."  
  
"I'm sure I can handle him," she said with a smile.   
  
Marl smiled in return before disappearing into the other room, closing the door behind him.   
  
"Hey bub." Amy had rolled her chair next to Ethan's. "What's up?"  
  
Ethan avoided her eyes, continuing to stare at the ground.  
  
"Do you want to color?" Ethan shook his head. "Play with your cars?" Nope. "Uh, play a game?" No dice. "Are you just going to sit there?" He scowled, finally making eye contact with Amy. A little put off, she rolled her chair away. "Whatever you want, bub."  
  
...  
  
About twenty minutes passed, and the blue boy was getting bored, and his grumpiness was growing. When was his daddy going to be done so they could just go home? He wasn't sure what he wanted, he just knew that he didn't want to be here. He let out a huff, drawing Amy's attention back to him.  
  
"What's the matter, bub?" That was precisely the problem. He didn't know what was wrong, just that it was, and he didn't know how to communicate that. So instead, he simply shook his head.  
  
Amy frowned, getting up and walking over to the closet, returning with a box of crayons and a stack of coloring books. She set them on the desk. "Coloring might cheer you up. And help pass the time." She gave him a small smile.  
  
"No!" In all his pent up frustration, Ethan grabbed the box of crayons and threw it at the wall. Crayons flew in every direction, scattering across the ground.   
  
Amy's eyes widened, surprised by the sudden outburst. The noise had even managed to get Tyler's attention, as he took off his headphones to stare at them.  
  
Before either could respond, Mark burst into the room. "What happened?" He took in the scene before him, realizing what had occurred. His gaze sharpened, landing on the boy. "Ethan!" The boy shrunk down in his chair. "Ethan Nestor..." He marched towards him, Amy quickly stepping out of the way. "You... you need a time out!" He grabbed Ethan's arm. "Stand up."  
  
Ethan tried to squirm away. "No!" he practically yelled, trying to wrench his arm away.   
  
"If you don't cooperate, I'm just going to carry you to the corner." Mark's voice was low, stern. He could feel everyone else's eyes on them, though he pushed that concern from his mind.  
  
The boy whined, sliding down onto the floor. Mark sighed, letting go of his arm. He hated to do this, but the boy needed to be disciplined. He scooped the boy up into his arms, a difficult task when he was squirming around so much. He walked over to the empty corner of the room, and set the boy down onto the floor.   
  
"No no no!" Ethan was throwing a full on tantrum at this point, sprawled on the floor, kicking his feet around, his face bright red. And suddenly, one of his feet made contact with Mark's upper leg.  
  
"Ow! Shit, Ethan, what's wrong with you?!" His words had an instant effect. Ethan's face fell, and his flailing stopped. He looked up at Mark's face, his breathing growing heavy and his lip trembling. Before Mark could fully register his own words, the boy was flat out wailing.   
  
Mark could feel the panic rising in his chest. He looked around at the others, who avoided making eye contact as they all scrambled to get to the other room.  
  
"S-sowwy!" Ethan cried in between his sobs.   
  
"Ohh," Mark said, crouching down, wrapping his arms around the shaking figure. "It's okay, baby." Hm. That was a new one, though Mark didn't have time to ponder his choice of words.  
  
"D-didn mean tuh!"  
  
"I know, daddy knows you didn't mean it." He pulled the boy close to his chest, gently stroking his hair as he felt the sobs wrack through his body. "I didn't mean to be so mean either," he said, adjusting them so that Ethan was sitting in his lap. "Shhh, you're okay. You're okay." He gently rocked back and forth, cooing softly to the boy until his sobs dissipated. After a while, he stopped, leaning back to look at Ethan's face. "Are we all better now?" he whispered.   
  
Ethan nodded slowly, his eyes red and puffy from all the crying he'd done.  
  
"Are you ready to go home?"  
  
Ethan shook his head slightly.  
  
"No?"  
  
"Stay wit daddy." Ethan's voice was so faint that Mark could hardly tell he had spoken at all.  
  
Mark sighed gently. "Okay. Do you want a paci?" Nod. "Hey Amy?" he called out softly.  
  
The door cracked open, Amy cautiously peeking her head in.   
  
"Can you get me one of his pacifiers?"  
  
Amy nodded, quickly retrieving one from Ethan's desk and handing it off to Mark before scurrying back to the other room.  
  
Mark held it out for the boy, who latched on. His eyelids were drooping, his head dipping downwards as Mark began his gentle rocking once more. Mark began humming softly, unsure of the tune, but continued nonetheless as he lulled the boy to sleep.   
  
...  
  
Ethan woke up feeling physically drained, but mentally, he wasn't as bad as before. He rubbed the crusted tear residue from his eyes and looked around. He was still in Mark's lap, on the floor in the corner of the room. The crayons had been picked up, and everyone else was sitting at their desks.  
  
"Hey bud." He turned his head to look at Mark. "Feeling okay?"   
  
Ethan nodded, slowly making his way to his feet. He glanced down at Mark before walking over to Amy. He reached out and softly tapped her on the shoulder. Amy took off her headphones, slowly turning around. "Sowwy for twowin da cwayons," he said sweetly.  
  
"Aw, E, c'mere." She stood up, pulling him into a hug. "We all have bad days," she said, letting him go. "Do you feel better now?"   
  
Ethan nodded dutifully.  
  
"Good," she smiled, sitting back into her chair.   
  
Ethan returned the smile.  
  
"Hey, Eth, are you ready to go?"  
  
Finally, it was time to go back home.  
  
...  
  
"Hey bud?"  
  
"Mm?" Ethan looked up. His head was resting on Mark's lap, as he was laying on the couch.  
  
"Do you feel like talking now?" Mark absentmindedly ran his fingers through the boy's blue hair.  
  
"Kinda," Ethan mumbled. He was afraid of what the man's next words were going to be.   
  
"Can you tell me what happened earlier?"  
  
Ethan looked away from Mark, biting his lip and feeling a faint blush rise to his cheeks.  
  
"I'm not mad," Mark reassured him. "I just want to understand what happened. Were you upset? Mad?" He raised an eyebrow. "Did I do something? Did someone else do something?"   
  
Ethan sighed, adjusting his arms. "Jus didn feel good. On the inside."  
  
Mark looked concerned. "You were hurting?"  
  
Ethan shook his head. "Not like that." He opened his mouth to speak, struggling to find the right words to describe what he'd been feeling. "My brain... my brain jus felt... felt icky."  
  
Mark looked down at the boy sympathetically, not knowing what to say.   
  
"Sowwy for bein a meanie," Ethan mumbled. "Didn mean tuh be." He looked sincerely into Mark's eyes.   
  
"Oh, Eth." Mark couldn't help but smile softly. "It's okay to have bad days. Just tell me next time, okay? Then I know what's going on, and I'll help you the best I can."  
  
"Kay," Ethan mumbled, his thumb snaking towards his mouth.   
  
"Ah, what happened to using a paci?" Mark gently scolded.  
  
Ethan looked up at Mark practically pouting. "Don wanna get up."  
  
Mark sighed, exhausted from the day's events. "Fine," he relented. "Just this once."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I miiight be projecting. Just a tad. I've been having lots of days where I feel like this, but hey, it inspired this chapter so at least it's good for that :p 
> 
> ALSO I haven't forgotten about the requests, I'll try to get to them soon, I've just been having some trouble writing recently, but rest assured, I am thrilled to write them (and though I won't push myself) I WILL get to them eventually!


	34. ..!

This amazing drawing was done by alyxsayssup (based on an early chapter)


	35. Chapter 35

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vidcon's come around, and so have some familiar faces!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the suggestions, I will try to incorporate all of them in the near future!

"Are we ready to go?"  
  
Mark, Amy, and Ethan stood by the front door, each carrying a light bag. It was mid June, meaning it was time for Vidcon. It was only an hours drive away, but they figured they'd rather stay in a hotel than waste their time traveling each day.  
  
Ethan and Amy nodded, and they were off out the door.  
  
...  
  
Their journey was uneventful, and they safely made it to the hotel. As Mark was unlocking their room, the door adjacent clicked open. Ethan spun around, beaming as he saw who it was. "Jack!" He abruptly wrapped his arms around his friend, startling him.   
  
"Hey!" The Irishman hugged tightly in return. "It's good to see ya!"   
  
"Ahem." Ethan turned to look at Mark. "Do the rest of us get to say hi?"  
  
Ethan blushed. "Sorry," he said, letting go of Jack, who stepped out of the doorway.   
  
"Hi there, blue bean."  
  
"Aunt Signe!" Ethan said excitedly, though Signe was the one with the tighter hug.   
  
"Alright," Signe said, letting the boy go. "Go put your stuff in your room." She nodded towards Mark and Amy, who were already inside.   
  
"M'kay!" He dashed into the room, tossing his bag onto one of the beds before rushing back into the hallway. "'M back!"   
  
Signe giggled. "That was fast." She gave him a gentle pat on the head, which made Ethan grin.   
  
Just then, Mark and Amy stepped out into the hallway. "Bob and Wade are here, I said we'd meet them at a restaurant." He tucked his phone into his pocket.  
  
"Oh." Ethan seemed to deflate.  
  
"We can all fit in one car, right?" Amy and Signe led the way, followed by Jack. Mark held Ethan back.  
  
"Are you okay?"   
  
"Yeah." Ethan looked down at his shoes, fidgeting his hands in his pockets.   
  
"Are you sure?"   
  
Ethan gave him a halfhearted smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. Let's go."  
  
Mark didn't seem convinced, but he dropped it. He was pretty sure he knew what was on the blue boy's mind.  
  
...  
  
Ethan was rather quiet through dinner, to the point where several people asked if he was alright. It wasn't until Mark pulled him into the bathroom that he was forced to give an explanation. "What's wrong? And don't tell me it's nothing, I know something's off, so spill."  
  
Ethan looked at the ground. "'S nothing."  
  
"Ethan-"  
  
"Okay!" The boy sighed in defeat. "I'm kinda feeling small. And if I feel small when I can't be, sometimes I don't talk a lot."  
  
"Oh," Mark frowned. "You feel like you can't talk..?" He raised an eyebrow.  
  
Ethan shook his head. "No, it's not that. I just don't wanna sound...little."  
  
Mark's concerned face turned to that of realization. "Oooh." Ethan did have a "little voice". It was nearly impossible to pick up on unless you were aware of what was going on, but nonetheless, his voice did go up an octave whenever he was in littlespace. "I didn't think about that. Well, if you're worried about slipping, we can go back to th-"  
  
"No!" Ethan lowered his voice. "I'm fine, I can be big!" he insisted. "Promise!"   
  
"Hmm." Mark looked skeptical, though he didn't want to go over the boy's head. "Fine. But if I notice you getting closer to slipping-"  
  
"Then we'll go back to the hotel and I won't argue."  
  
"Good boy." Mark winced; that probably wasn't helping. "Alright, let's get back to everyone else."  
  
...  
  
The group walked around town for a while, taking in the night life, before they stopped at a bar. Mark kept an eye on Ethan (as well as everyone else, being the sober one). He noticed that Ethan was becoming increasingly giggly, which wouldn't have been a red flag, but he hadn't had any alcohol.   
  
Mark let out a (slightly fake) yawn. "It's getting pretty late, guys, I think it's time for us to head out."  
  
"It's only nine o'clock," Wade pointed out.  
  
"We all have stuff to do tomorrow, you need a good night's rest!" He lightly shook a finger at the man.  
  
Wade rolled his eyes. "What are you, my dad?"  
  
Mark felt his heart skip a beat, and froze in his seat. The table had gone silent, two members oblivious to the reason.   
  
"What just happened? Are you sensitive about your age or something?"  
  
"Hey, you're the same age as me, first of all," Mark started, relieved to have changed the topic.  
  
The rest of the table seemed to let out a collective breath they'd been holding as the two men continued to bicker. All except Bob, who glanced around suspiciously.  
  
"Alright, I really do think it's time to go!" Mark stood up, the others following suit. "You guys are fine?" he asked Bob and Wade.   
  
"We got an Uber," Bob responded.  
  
"Good. See you tomorrow."  
  
The group walked out to the parking lot, watching as Bob and Wade left in their Uber. The car was still at the restaurant, which was about two blocks away, meaning they had some walking to do.  
  
Jack and Signe led the way, and Ethan noticed them holding hands. He glanced at the man walking beside him, and hesitantly reached out for his hand. Mark flinched at the unexpected touch, but allowed the boy to hold on. He looked over at him to find him smiling timidly. He was absolutely adorable, and Mark couldn't help but smile back.   
  
Amy, who was walking on Ethan's other side, also didn't expect the blue boy's hand to find it's way into hers, but alas, it did. The boy lightly swung their connected arms back and forth as they made their way to the car.   
  
...  
  
"Can I stay wit Jack an Aunt Signe?"  
  
Mark sighed as he unlocked their room. He hated telling the boy no. "Sorry, bud, not tonight."  
  
Ethan and Jack held identical pouts. "Why not?" the blue haired boy whined.  
  
"You have a panel and a signing tomorrow, and I don't think you'll get much sleep if you're over there with Jack. But," he added, "if your Aunt Signe says it's okay, you can stay with them tomorrow."  
  
The boys turned to look at Signe. "That sounds good!"   
  
"See? It's just one day. Now, say goodnight."  
  
"G'nigh," Ethan said glumly, getting two waves in return before being led into his own room. He plopped down on the bed nearest to the door.  
  
"Let's get you ready for bed." Ethan looked up as Mark started at unzip his bag. His eyes widened and he felt his face grow warm. "Wait!" He scrambled over to Mark. He glanced over at Amy, who was looking at the pair curiously, before whispering into Mark's ear.  
  
Mark nodded, setting the bag down, and walked over to Amy. He struggled to find the right words to explain. "He's...shy," he whispered.  
  
"Okay." She raised her voice from a whisper. "I'll go brush my teeth." She grabbed her toiletry bag and went into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.  
  
"Alright, lay down on the bed for me."  
  
Ethan complied, though he kept his eye on the bathroom door as he was diapered.   
  
"Daddy?"  
  
"Hm?" Mark was fastening the second tape.  
  
"Does Amy know t-tha I wear diapies sometimes?"  
  
Mark gave the boy a small, sympathetic smile. "Yeah."  
  
"An, an does she know tha you're my daddy?"  
  
"She knows that too, bud."  
  
"Oh." He sat up, his thumb sitting on the edge of his lips.  
  
"We talk about you sometimes," Mark said, pulling a pair of pajamas out of Ethan's bag. "Mostly how cute you are." This earned him a smile. "She wants to understand. And she does. She understands how close we are, and... that you need this. And that there's a part of me that didn't know I needed this too."  
  
Ethan nodded, staring off into space as Mark dressed him. "You're all set." He looked up to see Mark standing over him.   
  
"T'anks." He stood up, wrapping his arms around Mark's neck.   
  
Mark knew the thanks was for much more than dressing him, and held on tightly. "Always, lil blue."   
  
It wasn't until they let go that Mark called out to Amy. "We're all done!"   
  
Amy emerged from the bathroom, flashing a smile at Ethan as she made her way to the other bed, putting her toiletry bag away. Mark grabbed some clothes from his own bag before he disappeared into the bathroom.  
  
"Hi Amy," Ethan said, crossing his legs under him as he sat on his bed.  
  
"Hey bub." She went around the bed, perching herself on the corner of Ethan's. "Can I ask you something?"  
  
Ethan looked at her nervously. "Kay?"  
  
"Why do you call me Amy?" At the boy's confused look, she elaborated. "You call Signe 'Aunt Signe'. Why don't I get a cool name?"  
  
Ethan stuck his tongue out a little, biting gently on it while he thought. "Cuz Marky's Daddy an it's weird tuh call you aunt, an I dunno if its 'kay tuh call you mommy or if I wanna."   
  
That made sense. "You can call me whatever you want, okay bub?"  
  
"Kay."  
  
Ethan jumped as the bathroom door clicked, announcing Mark's exit. He looked between the pair. "Am I interrupting?"  
  
"Naw, we were just talking," Amy said, moving to the other bed.  
  
"Okay then," Mark said, putting his clothes into his bag. He walked over to Ethan's side of the room, rummaging through his bag before pulling out Brownie and a paci, handing them to their owner. He then pulled back the blanket so that the boy could slide underneath, before tucking him in and planting a kiss on his forehead. "Goodnight, Eth."  
  
"Nigh," he murmured, sticking his paci into his mouth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have inspiration for the next few chapters, and a solid storyline to work with (this isn't a promise but..) I might put out the next few chapters more frequently than I have recently, since I know exactly where I want things to go!


	36. Chapter 36

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An eventful day at Vidcon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm hesitant to post this chapter (even though I wrote it) but ultimately decided to. I thought about re-writing it... and then laughed, because I'm too lazy to do that. This was kind of awkward for me to write, so uh, tread lightly, I guess.

Mark groaned, blinking slowly to see Ethan standing over him. It seemed he’d been poked awake. “Mm?” He looked over at the clock, blinking repeatedly until he could actually make sense of the red blur. It was half past two in the morning.

“Can I seep wif you?” The boy was clutching his stuffed dog tightly to his chest, his pacifier muffling his speech.

“Uh,” Mark struggled to comprehend the request in his sleep-muddled state. “Yeah, sure. Middle or outside?”

He raised his hand to point to the center of the bed.

Mark sighed sleepily as he sat up to allow the boy to crawl up onto the bed, pulling the covers down as well. Once Ethan was settled in, he slumped back to his spot and pulled the covers back over himself.

The commotion seemed to have woken up Amy. “Whas goin on?” Mark felt her shift from the other side of the bed, meaning she’d turned over, presumably to face them.

“Blue boy decided to join us,” Mark mumbled, his eyes drooping closed as he spoke.

“Mm.” There was a long pause before Amy spoke again. “What happened?”

“Gaw scawed.”

“Poor baby,” Amy cooed, lazily running her fingers through his hair. “We got you. Go back to sleep now, bub.” It was only moments before all three of them had passed out once more.

…

Ethan was the first to wake up, startled to see Mark’s sleeping face inches in front of him. He thought about scooting back before he realized he wouldn’t be able to without pushing Amy off the bed. He grimaced; he wouldn’t be able to get up without one of them moving. And to make matters worse, he really had to pee.

_That’s what the diaper’s for_ , came a voice from the back of his mind. He winced; he’d never consciously used one before, and wasn’t sure he was mentally able to. He squirmed around, desperation hitting him like a train. He weighed his options. At this point, he wasn’t sure he’d even make it to the bathroom if he tried. He clenched his teeth as he decided to put his pride aside for the sake of his bladder. He clenched his eyes closed, trying to force himself to stop holding it in. and finally, he succeeded, relief washing over him as he just let go, a soft sigh escaping his lips as his face softened. As his bladder finally finished emptying, he opened his eyes, only to see a pair of brown ones staring back at him. Ethan yelped, his eyes widening in fear.

“Did you just-“

Ethan yanked the covers over his face, trying to hold back tears. He was mortified. Mark had actually just seen him pee himself, and on purpose nonetheless! How could he ever face him again?!

“Ethan? It’s fine, I-“

“Don’t wanna talk about it!” His voice was hoarse, a giveaway that he was trying not to cry.

“Oh, buddy-“

“Jus leave me alone,” Ethan mumbled, feeling a tear slide down the side of his face.

“C’mon, Eth, it’s really not that big of a deal-“

Ethan cut him off with a loud whine from beneath the safety of his covers.

And suddenly, Mark’s face was in front of him once more. “I can come down here too, you know.” Ethan scowled, pulling his head back up over the blanket. Mark followed suit. “And now we’re up here. He reached a hand out to wipe the dripping tear from the boy’s face. “C’mon, lil blue, can I see that wonderful smile of yours? Just a teeny tiny one? Why don’t you turn that frown upside-down?” he poked at his own cheeks and gave the boy a wide grin.

It seemed to work, as the corner of Ethan’s mouth twitched upwards.

“There we go! There’s my sweet boy!”

Ethan was only charmed for a moment, before furrowing his brow and shaking his head. “No, stop!” He kicked his leg in frustration, causing the last sleeping bedmate to stir.

“Stop what, what’s wrong?” Mark looked alarmed.

“I hafta be big today, you gotta stop!”

Mark looked panicked. “I don’t know what to stop if you don’t tell me!” he said, his voice going up in pitch.

“Stop using your daddy voice!”

Mark was flabbergasted. “Wh-what?” he squeaked.

“Your daddy voice! Don’t think you don’t have one, cuz you do.”

“He’s not wrong.”

“Oh shit, you’re awake?!” Mark was startled by the new voice joining the conversation.

“Hey!” Amy scowled.

Mark rolled his eyes. “You know I didn’t mean it as a bad thing. But anyway, back to the topic at hand, I have a daddy voice???”

“Yup. And you can’t use it! At least not ‘til I’m done with everything I hafta do today.”

“I can’t exactly stop if I don’t know that I’m doing it!” Mark pointed out.

“I’ll keep you in check,” Amy said as she got out of bed. She grabbed her bag from the floor. “You guys don’t mind if I take a shower first?”

The pair shook their heads as Amy disappeared into the bathroom, remaining silent until they heard the shower turn on. Mark turned to Ethan, hesitating before speaking. “Should we get you changed?”

The boy avoided his eyes. “I-I can do it myself,” he mumbled.

“Okay.” Mark looked over at Ethan, who had his arms crossed and head dipping downwards. He looked pretty pitiful. “Hey. You aren’t mad at me, are you?”

This caught his attention. Ethan looked up at the man. “No. I just… I just need some space. For now,” he added.

Mark nodded. “I understand.”

…

The trio met up with Jack and Signe in the lobby, and soon enough they were off to the convention. From the moment they arrived, it was a frenzied blur of events. Being rushed from one place to another, always followed by tall guys with walkie-talkies. First was Mark’s panel, the rest of them hiding backstage. The moment that was over, they were rushed to a different stage where they met up with Bob and Wade, for the Vidcon equivalent of “Markiplier and Friends”, with Mark, Bob, Wade, and Jack. Once that was over, they got a twenty minute break before being rushed to yet another stage, this time for a panel with just Jack and Ethan.

Though he was nervous, Ethan made it through the panel just fine, thankful to have Jack there with him on stage. As they ducked behind the curtain, they were met with many congrats from their friends.

“You did so good out there, bud!” Mark scoffed as Amy elbowed him lightly in the ribs and gave him a pointed look. He understood, however, and cleared his throat. “Uh, nice job out there,” he said stiffly.

Ethan grinned. “Thanks, dude.”

Next came the part that Ethan was dreading. Mark and Jack had a signing together, while Ethan had his own scheduled for the same time.

“C’mon.” Amy waved Ethan over.

“What?”

“We don’t want to be late for your signing!”

“You’re going with me?” he asked in disbelief.

“Of course!”

“I thought you were going with Mark…”

“He’s fine,” Amy insisted. “Not that you aren’t,” she quickly added. “But I figured you’d like the company.”

“Thanks,” Ethan smiled.

“Now come on, your fans are waiting.”

…

By the time they made it to the car, everyone was exhausted. Signe sat in the backseat, with a colorful floof of hair resting on each of her shoulders. She put her arms around the boys for the ride back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully this wasn't too terrible... I've never written anything...in the vein of omo before (that wasn't really what I was intending on going for but it probably would be considered that) and I'm not sure if I'd ever do anything past this in the future. (I felt kind of weird writing this, and yet I kept writing...ehhh.... I don't know where I'm going with this train of thought...)  
> ANYWAY Next chapter will be a nice fun 'lil hotel sleepover :D


	37. Chapter 37

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hotel sleepover

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's...it's been a while. 3 months, really. Wow. I really hope I don't end up doing that again! I missed writing this a lot! I actually had the first half of this chapter written a day after the last one was posted, and it took me 3 whole months to finish it! Anyway, here ya go.

The group made it up to their rooms, exhausted from the eventful day, though Jack and Ethan seemed to have gained some energy back. They were bright eyed and giggly as both doors were unlocked.

"Hey, wait a minute there." Mark put his hand on Ethan's shoulder, stopping him from following Jack into the other room. "You can't forget your stuff." He turned towards Jack and Signe. "He'll be over in a few minutes."

Signe gave a thumbs up in response, closing the door behind them.

Once inside the room, Ethan made a grab for his bag, trying to leave as quickly as possible. "Woah, hold on, mister. We need to get you changed before you go over."

"Do I have to?" Ethan whined, pouting his lips.

"You don't want to have an accident, do you?"

Ethan blushed. "No," he murmured, lying down on the bed.

Mark made quick work of it, quickly diapering the boy and slipping a pair of fuzzy pajama pants over his legs.

"All done."

Ethan practically sprung up, grabbing his bag once more as he moved towards the door.

"You have everything, right?" Mark asked.

"Uh huh." Ethan nodded vigorously.

"Okay, goodnight, bud, try not to stay up too late. See you tomorrow." Mark sat next to Amy, the pair each giving the boy a wave.

"Kay, night!" Ethan cracked open the door to peek into the hallway. He looked down both ways to make sure no one was around before stepping out into the hall. He closed the door behind him, hurrying to knock on the one in front of him.

He was met with a smiling Signe. "Hi, Ethan, come in!"

The boy grinned, nearly bouncing on his feet as he stepped inside. "Hi Jack!" he said as he noticed the other Little sitting on one of the beds.

Jack looked up, beaming, as Signe closed the door. He looked Ethan up and down, his grin fading into a puzzled expression. "You wear diapers?"

Though Jack's tone wasn't harsh, Ethan could feel the uncertainty rising in his chest. He backed closer to the wall, shrinking into himself as he grew self-conscious.

"Oh, honey," Signe appeared at his side, rubbing her hand soothingly across his back, "you're okay. Sit down." She patted the bed in front of them and the boy hesitantly obliged. He pulled his knees up to his chest, tucking his chin down. Signe sat next to him, facing Jack.

"What's wrong?" the green haired boy asked, concerned. "Didn' mean tuh make you sad."

Ethan didn't respond, only blinking shyly at Jack.

Signe took it upon herself to answer for him. "He's just a little nervous, bug."

"Why?"

"I don't think he was expecting you to ask about that." She looked over at Ethan. "Were you?" He shook his head softly.

"But... I'm littler than him sometimes so why does he need 'em? If, if I don't?"

Signe petted Ethan's head softly, as he'd buried his face deeper into his knees.

"Every Little is different, bugaboo, and that means they all need different things. Little Ethan needs diapers, and Little you needs a rail on the bed to keep you from falling off. And your needs don't have to match up with your Little age. You still use your pacifiers when you're in an even older headspace than Ethan, right?"

Jack nodded slowly. "Ohh, okay." He stood up and shuffled towards the other bed. He leaned down and wrapped his arms around the blue haired boy. "Sowwy. Didn' mean tuh make you feel bad, Efan."

Ethan leaned into the hug. "'S okay." Jack let go, sitting back down on the bed.

Signe clapped her hands together. “Okay. What are we going to do? Are you hungry?”

Ethan shrugged his shoulders while Jack nodded eagerly.

“Should we order room service?” Both boys nodded eagerly, snatching up the menu from the dresser. They deliberated for a moment before rattling off their orders to Signe, getting up to wander around the room as she picked up the phone to place the order.

Ethan perched himself in the swivel chair by the desk, using one foot to slowly spin in circles. Meanwhile, Jack had wandered into the bathroom and was looking at all the toiletries. “Woosh?” he called. Not receiving a reply, he tried again. “Wooooosh?” Still not receiving a reply, he huffed. “Mommy?” he tried instead. Signe appeared in the doorway.

“Yes, Bug?”

“Can we take the soaps?” he asked, picking up a neatly wrapped bar of soap.

“Yes, we can. But I think we should wait until tomorrow. You need soap to wash your hands, silly.”

Jack set the soap back onto the counter. “Okay.” And with that, he was out the door.

Signe smiled to herself, following back into the room. Jack was snooping through the closet, while Ethan sat stationary in his chair, looking a little dazed. Signe approached him. “You okay?”

“Spun too much.”

Signe giggled, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Can we make a pillow fort?” Jack interrupted, head sticking out from the closet.

“How about we wait until after your food gets here?”

As if on cue, there was a knock at the door, accompanied by a muffled “Room service!”

Ethan looked alarmed, stumbling slightly as he dove behind the second bed. Jack gave him a confused look as Signe answered the door and retrieved the tray. As she closed the door, Jack spoke. “Why’d ya do that?”

“Hiding.” Ethan mumbled.

“He was only here for a sec.”

“Still.”

…

They set up a fort, the space between the beds the perfect spot. Though Signe was allowed in, she stuck to her spot on the bed while the boys ate their macaroni and apple slices and giggled to themselves.

Once they were finished, Signe picked up the tray and peeked under the blanket. “Time for a movie?”

“Yeah!” the pair exclaimed.

“Why don’t you two sit on the bed?” Cue protests. “You can see the tv better that way!” She also knew that it was getting late, and there was a high change the two would doze off.

The two gave in, plopping down beside one another on the far bed as Signe set up the tv. “Is Moana okay?”

They both nodded, and shortly after, the movie was playing.

As the boys watched the opening, Signe went about getting them ready for bed. She turned the bedside lamp on before turning the main light off. She grabbed Jack’s plush bear and pacifier from his bed. She hesitantly decided to go through Ethan’s bag for his things, hoping he wouldn’t mind. Finding what she was looking for, she walked over to the other bed and handed the pair their stuffies, which they happily accepted. She handed Ethan his paci, which he popped into his mouth without question. Jack, on the other hand, refused his. “Don’ want it.”

“Are you sure, Bug?”

“Mhm.”

“Okay.” She sat back down on the other bed, watching the movie as well.

…

As the credits began to roll, Signe looked over to the other bed to see both boys were fast asleep. She sighed, seeing as they were laying atop the comforter. She took the extra blanket from their fort and carefully set it on top of their sleeping forms. Smiling at how cute they were, she planted a quick kiss on each of their foreheads before getting back into bed and going to sleep herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I've fallen out of the habit of writing, this in particular. If I'm being honest, I haven't been able to write age regression stuff because I haven't been able to slip into anything resembling little space in a long, long, time, and that's made it a bit rough to write this kind of stuff. But hey, I'm back, and I've fallen back in love with writing this story!


	38. Chapter 38

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An airport chat over coffee

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's a short one! The next few should be more interesting (that's not a promise)

“Time to wake up!” Ethan blinked up at the figure standing above him. It was Signe. “I let you sleep for as long as I could, we have to get going soon,” she explained, moving to prod the boy laying beside him.

Ethan sat up and yawned, rubbing at his eyes. Standing up, he grabbed his bag from beside the bed and made his way to the bathroom. Looking at himself in the mirror, he grimaced slightly. His blue hair was sticking up haphazardly, there were bags under his eyes, and there was dried drool on the corners of his mouth. Sighing, he turned away from the mirror and began to undress. He took off his shirt and pajama pants, leaving him in only his protective undergarment. Glad to find it dry, he removed that as well before changing into his clothes for the day.

Looking back into the mirror, it was clear that he still had the same issues to fix. He grabbed a towel from the rack and wet a corner, dabbing the edges of his lips with it. He then splashed some water onto his face. It didn’t get rid of the bags, but it did seem to freshen him up a bit. And lastly, he dug a brush out of his bag and attempted to tame the wild blue forest atop his head. Satisfied with his results, he stepped back outside.

“Ready to go?” Ethan nodded, and the door was being opened, the two of them being ushered out. Once the door closed, Signe put a hand on his shoulder. “Can’t forget this.” She held out a blue pacifier.

Ethan blushed, taking it from her. “Sorry,” he mumbled, tucking it safely away into his bag.

Signe ruffled a hand through his hair. “It’s alright. We found it before we left, right?”

Ethan smiled shyly, nodding.

Jack had begun knocking impatiently on the door across the hall. Getting no response, his knocking increased in speed.

The door cracked open, Mark sticking his head out. “What?”

“Are you ready yet?” Jack whined, crossing his arms over his chest.

“As a matter of fact, we are.” He booped the Irishman on the nose. “You’ve just got to be patient, Jackaboy.”

…

They made it to the airport with plenty of time to spare (considering their hotel was only a few miles away). “Hey Mark?”

Mark raised an eyebrow at Signe.

“How about we get some coffee real quick?”

“Sure.” He looked over at Amy, who was with the boys. She gave him a quick thumbs up as she led them into the nearby bakery.

They ordered their drinks and sat at a table in the small and mostly empty airport Starbucks. “So,” Signe started.

“So,” Mark said, feeling a bit awkward.

“About Ethan…”

Mark paused, cup halfway to his mouth. “He wasn’t any trouble, was he?”

“Oh no,” Signe quickly said. “That’s not it at all. I… I’m just…” She seemed to be struggling for words. “Forgive me if I’m prying too much, but I’m… curious.”

“Oh?”

“I’m curious about your relationship.”

“Ah.” Mark took a slow drink of his coffee. “What do you want to know?”

“It’s not too often that you find someone else with a similar… dynamic, that we have. By chance, at least. One thing I am curious about… you and Ethan, you’re..?”

“We’re..?” Mark looked a bit lost.

“You and Amy are together?” she asked, aiming to clarify her intention.

“Oh!” It seemed to have worked. “Yeah. Me and Ethan are-” What? Mark thought to himself. Just friends? That wasn’t necessarily true, they were closer than most friends are. How would he describe their relationship? “We’re not romantically involved. Or sexually,” he added hastily.

“I didn’t think so!” Signe laughed. “That’s what makes it so curious. It’s not really common to find someone in a little/caregiver dynamic that aren’t… involved.”

“Oh.”

Seeing the look on his face, she quickly continued. “Not that that’s a bad thing! It’s just interesting. If you don’t mind me asking, how did you get involved, if you aren’t in a relationship?” She sipped her coffee.

“He told us about his regression a little while back and… I don’t know, we kind of just fell into it. I’m still really new to all this.”

“For someone that’s new to this, you’re doing a good job with it.”

Mark blushed into his coffee cup. “Thanks,” he murmured.

And with that, they were approached by the others.

Mark inspected Ethan’s face, which was speckled with white. “What happened to you?”

Amy sighed. “This one decided he wanted powdered donuts,” she explained as Mark wiped him off with a paper towel. “Be glad I talked him out of coffee.”

“What’s wrong with coffee?” Mark asked as he finished cleaning up the squirming boy.

“I didn’t think it’d be good for Jack to have too much caffeine before a long flight.”

“Ah.” He gave her a look of understanding.

“Good call,” Signe chimed in.

…

The trio left the airport soon after, Mark giving the rest of his coffee (nearly half of it) to Ethan once they’d reached the car. “Don’t make me regret that,” he teased.

“I’ll do what I want,” Ethan replied, smirking.

Amy laughed and Mark sighed; with that, they were off to another hotel to pick up Bob and Wade.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, it's good to be back into this. I'm trying to stock up on a few chapters before I post but... oops. Hopefully I'll get a few more written before I post again.

**Author's Note:**

> I really hope this was alright. I'll try to update as often as possible, but I won't set a schedule because I know I would never be a ble to keep up with it :/


End file.
